Troublesome
by Beautiful Phantom
Summary: In another universe the little boy got a she-devil instead. And he grew attached. As she would have said, "How troublesome!" (A series of vignettes. Warning, it's a dark story.)
1. 0: Contract

Prologue: Contract

* * *

"Thy soul will be mine. Is that thy final answer?" A disembodied voice echoed, as a veil of cloudy darkness fell to disguise the writhing bodies.

He whimpered, his head aching. Only one angry thought had broken through the heavy grief and pain, "Yes! I demand it! I desire it! I need it! Revenge is my life now!" His calloused hands gripped the bars that prisoned him, and pressed his worn face between a gap. He shouted, his decision firm, "Free me, and I will become your master in life, and meal in death!"

The silence was stretching, few moans of pain rang from the devil's dying victims, "Very well...With thy words ye sealed the contract of our agreement. The contract," the voice, now decidedly feminine, paused, as a long black nail tapped over his right eye, "became thy right eye."

A splintering pain struck that eye, like lightning, and he screamed from reflex.

Thin hands cupped his face, slowing his cries, and a pair of soft lips met the skin of his right eyelid. The pain faded, in an instant, "Treat me kindly, Master…"

His eyes slid open, one shined with a glowing pentagram, and saw a _human_ woman kneeling before him, his cage in ruin, "Ciel. I am Ciel." Her eyes were colored dark blue-grey.

A tiny laugh fled her lips, the sound somehow sad, "Very well, Master Ciel. Treat me kindly, won't you?"

* * *

This story is a dedication to **xx-BlackXRoseXLust-xx**! If you are reading this, Black Rose, please know that you are missed and be blessed with a speedy recovery!

* * *

A/N: I got stuck on _Lady Exorcist_, so out of spur of a moment I decided to start another story. Though this one will be a drabble series instead. I will admit this is also a way to see if I can get someone to help me to get me unstuck on _Lady Exorcist_.

As for this little tale, I'm not sure where to go with this. You readers are welcome to throw in suggestions!

Anyway, enjoy the snippet series! The update may be very sporadic though, and may be only updated when I feel like it.

EDITED as of 9.22.15, to makes it fit better with ch.14.


	2. 1: Voices

1: Voices

* * *

There were shouting, but he paid them no minds. She will take care of them soon enough, he absently thought. She always does. He continued writing letters to the business men who begged his attention, placing his work a priority over the abstract voices. It was a warm day, for a cold season, and the high sun kept him company in his lonesome study.

"Gahhhhh!"

Then there was an explosion downstairs that vibrated his home. His pen left a long mark on a letter, scarring the paper with a long fat line of ink. There was no possible way he could have salvage it. He felt an eyebrow twitching. He took in a long sharp breath, before exhaling, relaxing the tightness in his back. It worked, but barely.

He placed down the pen, and stood up, the leather of his seat making gruesome noises of snapping away from the skin of his bare legs it was attached to.

He clapped his hands, the force sending the too-big sapphire-studded ring to twist on his thumb, "Kagome."

With the name she appeared, already bending at her waist, "Yes, milord?" The short tailcoats floated gently down behind her.

"Tell me what just happened." His voice was chilling even to his ears, but Kagome didn't flinch.

She rose to her full height, her face impassive and her gloved hands at her back, "Baldroy decided he wanted to work on a new device, sir, despite my warnings against it."

"You didn't stop it, why?" He frowned.

Kagome's shoulders grew more rigid, "Mey-Rin's life was at stake."

His eyebrow rose.

She continued, "She was on a ladder, sir, and she dropped a plate. I had to choose between Baldroy and Mey-Rin."

He accepted the explanation, seeing the mental scene that occurred. He had to cringe, in his head, on what would have happened if Kagome chose to stop the explosion instead. Materials are replaceable, lives are not. "Very well. Bring Baldroy in. I would like to hear his excuses."

"Yes, Master Ciel." Heels clanked away.

Ciel forced the picture of her legs away from his mind, and leaned against his desk.

Here he was, a not-yet-a-teenaged earl, flushing and lusting after a woman's stocked legs underneath. How embarrassing. And scandalous!

His lady butler knew it, but did not poke fun of it. Much. She claimed it was simply a part of growing up. For someone like her he found it odd that she knew such things and entertained no thoughts to tease him. She kept herself at an arm-distance, but offered support when he needed it the most. Kagome was everything to him; servant, tutor, confidant, and even a…friend. His closest one he ever had.

Heavy feet clamored his way, interrupting his thoughts. Baldroy entered, with a glowering Kagome close behind. The man had his face burnt black, and his once blond hair the same color. He was looking at everywhere but his young master.

"Baldroy…"

Meanwhile Kagome made away to clean up the mess Baldroy had left behind. She went past a sighing Mey-Rin, a fretting Finnian, and a tea-sipping Tanaka to the kitchen. "How troublesome," the lady butler sighed at the blackened pantry.

* * *

EDITED somewhat as of 9.22.15. Changed a lot of wordings.

Quick note, please remember Ciel is still a growing boy, and did not actually hold any feeling toward Kagome at the moment, outside a sense of platonic fondness. From rereading, I realized that I may have made it sound otherwise. That is not the case. Forgive me. I've fixed it up a bit to try and direct that in a different direction.


	3. 2: Toying

2: Toying

* * *

The man wept, having landed on his face in the dirt and his nose askew to a wrong direction. Being hauled away from the Lady Butler like a sad sack of potatoes would have reduce any man to tears. Sore and frightened he gaped at the ground; she just flipped him over her shoulder, and tossed him away with ease! "How-how?! You're a woman! How can you even defeat my Thousand Tigers and Roaring Scatter Pain Split technique?!" Disgraced with a bloodied nose, he refused to look at Kagome, "Just who the hell are you?!"

Kagome was amused, clapping her hands from dust, "I am the Lady Butler of the Phantomhive Family. I'd be ashamed if I cannot live up to their expectations to handle such a meager technique like yours." The foreigner fled after her laughing exclamation.

She smiled at the grumbling Ciel, his three starry-eyed servants, and an older gentleman, all were there speculated the challenge imposed by the young master, "Since I've won, you will take on extra lessons and reviews for tomorrow lessons before suppertime!" He only replied with more grumbles. Still he was glad to see such a backward bastard on his knees weeping.

Finnian squealed, "That's 50 wins in a row, Ms. Kagome!"

Mey-Rin blushed, "That's, ah, Miss Kagome for you."

"Isn't she freaking awesome?!" Baldroy grinned, and threw her a thumb-up. His hair, since the explosion that occurred last week, had been trimmed shorter.

Kagome clapped her hands again, smiling kindly at their flattering, "Thanks for your kind words."

"Geh, and the troubles I went through…I even went as far as the mysterious lands to fetch a Chinese martial arts expert. What a shame." Ciel sighed, "I was hoping today would be the day to see you on the knees."

"I am sorry to have disappointed you, young master." Kagome for her words doesn't looked a slightest bit apologetic, "I do must warn you to be more careful with your choices of words in the future, milord. I do hear women on their knees have a far different definition than men on their knees." She pondered aloud.

This garnered Ciel sputtering, violently coughing, and all entirely red-faced. Mey-Rin and Finnian were also wore the same shade of red on their faces, one more shocked than the other. Baldroy gave a massive grin at this jest, laughing.

Tanaka, standing next to the young earl, merely chuckled.

Ciel scowled at his lady butler, of all times she chose to tease him...!

"Say…" Kagome frowned, as she turned to the three servants, "Why are you three here? Did I not assign you lots chores today?" They froze, "Did Mey-Rin finish her laundry?" The bespectacled maid giggled weakly, "Did Finnian finished the weeding in the garden?" The bright-eyed boy was twiddling his thumbs, mouthing a 'no'. "Had Baldroy finish cooking the supper?" The chef paled, "Had _any_ of you done your works at _all _today?" Her voice dropped lower at every word.

They bolted.

For her friendly, if not with a scandalous appearance, Kagome was strict and held a little tolerance toward all did not perform their duties as promised.

"Speaking of works, quit toying with men and let's get a move on." Ciel snapped, his hands on the table, and Kagome was quick to move his chair from his, "I got a call from Chlaus from Italy."

"Mr. Chlaus?" Kagome remembered.

Ciel nodded, "Yes, we need to talk."

* * *

EDITED as of 9.22.15, wordings have been improved.


	4. 3: Expectations

3: Expectations

* * *

In the library she stood with her heels poised, as Ciel was flipping through his newspaper, "Mr. Chlaus is coming to England?" She summarized.

"Yes, he got considerable amount of the goods, and contacted us." Ciel hummed, receding in his overstuffed seat, "He will arrive at 6 today, and we will carry out the negotiations here." The papers crackled underneath his fingers while he shot Kagome a mischievous smile, "I'm sure you are aware of what this meant, Kagome."

Kagome bowed, with a confident glint in her eyes, "We will provide Mr. Chlaus the best Phantomhive hospitality, milord. Have faith in me."

Ciel waved her away, "Have fun."

With that, she went to make everything beautiful.

She turned everything silver and glittering, in the rose garden. She readied the finest plates on the table. She made a meal unrivaled to any chef.

The finest hospitality only the Phantomhive family can offer!

Kagome was just starting the beef when a bell rang. She glared, "What does my troublesome master want during such this busy time?" She pulled down her sleeves, removed the apron, and pulled on her jacket from a nearby hanger, and left the kitchen. Unattended.

Big mistake.

"No, you cannot have any sweets. You will spoil your appetite."

"It will be fine. Just make me a parfait."

"No."

Once when she finally left her disappointed master, she found her hard works…

Demolished. Wrecked. _Eradicated!_

Her garden had been turned into a crow-riddled wasteland.

Her good tea cups from the shelf, _shattered on the floor_.

The _meat_ was **scorched** _black_!

Her silent fury needed no words to make the three untalented servants into shivering messes.

"We're so sorry!" They chorused together, weeping.

Kagome pitched the bridge of her nose, tucking in an arm underneath her chest, trampling down the near-uncontrollable rage she felt inside her chest, "Just…tell me what just happened. Please. I'm beyond baffled at how much damages you three did, in such a short time I was gone." She was only gone for. Three. Minutes.

Finnian, runny-nosed and teary, "I was killing weeds, and I…I didn't know the lid of the weed killers was open." A crow cawed in jeers outside.

Mey-Rin whimpered, her glasses were cracked, "I brought out the guest's tea set when I…I pushed the pushcart. And it-it crashed into the shelf…" The wrecked cabinet was sprawled across the floor, broken glasses littering the floor.

Baldroy kept his eyes on the floor, his hair fluffy and singed and his mortified face was underneath a layer of soot, "I burned the raw meat with the flamethrower…" The black meat steamed a hissing line of gray smoke from the smothering kitchen table.

They all bawled, singing 'We're so sorry!' song to her and saying they just wanted to prove themselves to her. Kagome didn't bother to calm down those three, as they would have persisted regardless what she told them. She clicked open her pocketwatch, and frowned.

_Two hours left before Mr. Chlaus arrives, with little to nothing to replace the damages…How troublesome._

Her original expectations had been dashed to burnt nothing.

* * *

A/N: Hmmm, look like I'd be following the manga on the most parts…:/ I gotta figure out where the originality should start, hahah;;; Probably after the kidnapping arc, maybe?

EDITED as of 9.22.15, rewording and added sentences.


	5. 4: Idea

4: Idea

* * *

Kagome rubbed her face, and was made aware that the good ol' Tanaka took his place near a wall, content and proper, "You lots should follow Sir Tanaka's example and behave more like adu-" Her eyes grew wide when she spotted the Japanese cup he was holding, "That's it!" She gasped, breaking the tear-fest into still silence and Tanaka stopped his cheerful humming, curious.

She patted, "Please listen to what I have to say!" Kagome, with permission, took Tanaka's cup, and displayed it to the confused trios, "We will do _this_."

"Wahhh…?"

Baldroy was made to trim off whatever good left in the scorched meat, "Ya sure this is okay?"

"Yes, just have faith in me." Her smile was disarming, and the chef's worries had been melted into nothingness, utterly charmed.

"Oh, alright. Put 'em on the rice…" He was left to his muttering, following Kagome's directions.

Her name was called in a cheery shout, "I found them!" Kagome blanched when she saw Mey-Rin's _running_ to her, with a tall tower of boxes, wavering _dangerously _ in her arms, "I found them, Miss Kago-ahhnnnnnAHHHH!" Boxes flew and the floor was looming toward the poor maid's face.

All it took was the waxed floor, where Kagome skid to save the day, with the fallen Mey-Rin upon warmly in an arm, and a hand cupping the bottom of a tower of stacked precious boxes and one teeing on the very tip of her shoe, "Do please be more careful, Mey-Rin. There's a good reason why I forbid running in the manor."

The bespectacled maid swooned, feeling the lady butler's chest being squished on her back, "Ah, so-sorry…My glasses are broken so I can't see very well." She sputtered, "I-I got excited that I found these boxes that I-I forgot the rule…" She was shifted away from Kagome and was left abandoned on the ground to her sighing. The female butler moved to put away the boxes for safety.

"Well, as long as these are safe, I can pardon this incident." Kagome murmured, gracefully removing the box from the top tip of her stiletto, "But it seemed your balance still needed more work."

"Awaaaahhh!"

"The heck is wrong with you?" Baldroy muttered to the maid, who by then fainted, her face planted into her apron. He rose a brow, before he returned to the meat.

Finnian skipped his way in the kitchen, his face cheery, not minding the hot-faced Mey-Rin. He waved with brought objects in arms, "I got 'em, Miss Kagome~got the gravel and the stuffs you said to get at the gardening store!"

Kagome nodded with a relieved smile, "Good, good! I will take care of the rest then!" She wiped her hands dry, "From now on, do act like _adults_!" Her voice, venomous, warned.

They squeaked, "Yes, madam!"

* * *

A/N: Finally got the real cover made! :D What do you think?

The completed version (which included these lovely legs) are in this link: ** /d7ingxh**

EDITED as of 9.22.15, fixed misspellings and minor rewording.


	6. 5: Dog

5: Dog

* * *

"Ciel! Are you well?!" Ciel looked up from his lesson book, sitting outside to wait for a particular guest, and saw a familiar gentleman. An unleashed white dog trotted at his side.

"Mr. Chlaus," He murmured, on his feet with the book tucked closed in a hand, eying the German Shepherd, "I didn't know you even have a dog, Mr. Chlaus. Mind if I pet him?"

Mr. Chlaus had a deep chest laugh, gathering the boy into his arms in a squeezing hug, "Of course my boy! He's friendly, and won't bite ya!" Ciel rubbed the dog's head and stritched behind the large ears, feeling the course fur running underneath the pads of his fingers. The dog's tail wagged, rumbling with pleasure.

He allowed the boy to slip out from the embrace, "Had ol' Ailbhe since he was a runt! Kept me good company during long trips, he did!" His laugh ended with a worried frown, "I wouldn't take him with if my London home was in a better shape. A lad said there was an accident, a carriage crashing through the gate and smashed my door open. How particular."

Ailbhe whined, ears flattened from his master's sad tone.

"Oh?" Ciel was curious, "Now how did that happened? That sort of thing would have just ended with the gate."

"Indeed! I took him with, don't want my best bud running out in the street on temptation!" Mr. Chlaus grinned, almost sheepishly, "You don't mind, do you? I can keep him out in the yard, if you prefers."

Ciel waved, demolishing his guest's worries, "It is fine. I had a dog before, so he's welcome inside my home." He stepped up the stairs, "Come along now! I don't want to keep my impatient servants waiting."

Mr. Chlaus looked relieved, "Oh, good. I didn't wish to offend you, but it was a reckless decision." With a gesture, the dog followed close behind his master, "Say, had you grown?"

The young earl grunted, a hand turning the knob, "Not an inch, sorry to disappoint you."

The gentleman laughed, "You haven't changed at all! So rude!"

"You're the same as ever." Ciel rebutted, pushing the door open, and allowed Mr. Chlaus to see the sight of inside his home.

"Welcome, Sir Chlaus!" Five servants chorused, all at their waists, and with a smile, as the interior sparkled and shined with beauty of cleanness.

The gentleman was awed, "Oh…oh, my."

* * *

EDITED as of 9.22.15, slight rewording.


	7. 6: Welcome

6: Welcome

* * *

"Oh, oh, how…beautiful." Mr. Chlaus had no words to describe the home. It was only through the dog's bark that he snapped out of his stupor, "Oh, my, you lots have outdone yourselves!" He tipped his head to the young gardener, "And I see a new face here, eh?"

Kagome bowed politely in front of the gentleman, "Sir Chlaus, we have been awaiting you."

"Ah, Miss Kagome, it had been a while!" Mr. Chlaus grinned, "Still beautiful as ever, I see."

"Oh, don't flatter me, sir." She beamed, introducing an excited Finnian, "Please allow Finnian to take your jacket and your hat, if you may."

The gentleman plopped the hat on Finnian's head, "Certainly, dear lassie! Mind Ailbhe, please."

Finnian gasped at the sight of the white dog, "Doggie! Can I-?"

Kagome shook her head, "Not yet. Put up the hat and the jacket first, _and then_ you can ask Mr. Chlaus."

He wilted, "Oh, okay." Finnian rushed away to do just that.

"Eh, didn't know he even had a dog, with all of that travelin' around he did." Baldroy murmured to the curious Mey-Rin. She nodded in agreement.

"Now then! If you would like to speak with my lord, please enter the courtyard." Kagome gestured to the opened door, "I must do supper preparations."

Mr. Chlaus blinked, "Courtyard?"

"Yes, as ordered by my lord, we prepared entertainments for you. We hope it will please you." He looked outside.

The gentleman's jaws dropped at the sight, "The rock garden from Japan! How brilliant!" The garden was lined with smooth lines of mounded gravels, echoing after the other like rivers, and few dead, blackened trees scattered about. Few corners contains blooming irises.

He ignored Kagome's words, she was saying something about teas, "_Prodigioso_! How do you do this?!" Stuck on the aesthetic feeling of it all, he mindlessly followed Ciel to take a seat.

Meanwhile the female butler glared at the quietly-snarling white dog, "Behave yourself, son of the white dog. I will not hesitate to get rid of you and replace you." Ailbhe shut up and whimpered, his tail tucked in between his legs. He ran after his master and plopped his hide down on the ground, trembling.

"I look forward for the evening meal!" Mr. Chlaus roared, "If the garden can't be beat, then surely so can't the supper!"


	8. 7: Supper

7: Supper

* * *

Kagome bit back a dramatic sigh, when she realized the goods the whole time was a rival's game Ciel was eying after. Such a troublesome child. Anything to overthrow competition, she supposed. But, she need to interrupt their discussion, "Please pardon the wait, the evening meal's preparation had been arranged at last."

"Oh?" Mr. Chlaus blinked, already excited.

She continued, "Today's menu is the chef, Baldroy's Beef Donburi."

Donburi?

Mr. Chlaus frowned, "I am not familiar…" Kagome placed the bowl before him, and he eyed it suspiciously, "Is this really the evening meal?" It looked _plain_, a platter of oiled beefs over white rice.

"Yes." She rose the gentleman's chin to her face, and _purred, _"You must thank the laborers from ancient Japan for Donburi. It was of them that they gave all of their feelings of gratitude in this food." Mr. Chlaus felt his face burning from such a close proximity of his face to the Lady Butler's painted lips and seductive eyes. The finger that held his chin dropped, and she finished with a sweeping bow, "That is _Donburi_!"

Ciel twitched from the sight. Damn flirt!

Kagome laughed, "Too much?" Ciel glared, to affirm the answer. Mr. Chlaus only sputtered, still red-faced. She clasped her hands, resuming her lesson on the history of the supper her young master and his guest were served, "Regardless, a former peasant, desiring for extravagant foods, invented Donburi with more accessible ingredients, and made it so everyone of his home village and beyond can enjoy such a fanciful meal. And I also thought Mr. Chlaus might be weary of meals of too many favors. Instead perhaps you can savor only the meat, thus I brought myself to pursuit this idea."

Inside, the trios, plus Tanaka, spied. "Wow, what a way to impress a fellow." Baldroy whistled. Finnian stared, sparkly-eyed, while Mey-Rin squealed, almost in envy.

Mey-Rin gasped, her fingers curling in anticipation, "Ah, my duty is next!"

Shock eventually fled Mr. Chlaus, and he burst out in an impressed laughter, "This is marvelous! Never had I been teased so mercilessly for humor!" He eyed the food, "You never creased to impress me, Ciel!"

Ciel huffed, a smirk made its' way on his lips despite his annoyance with his female butler, "That's an honor."

The nosy employers cheered.

"I shouldn't be so surprised of your knowledge, Miss Kagome, given you were born and raised in Japan, were you not?" Mr. Chlaus praised, "Still, impressive!"

"Yes, that is correct, Japan was my birth home." She smiled at his compliment, "Thank you kindly."

Mr. Chlaus salivated at the meat, ignoring his hungry dog's quiet whining, "Miss Kagome spoke the truth. I am weary of Italy's stuffy foods." He prepared the napkin under his collar, "As one would say it, _itadakimasu*_!"

* * *

A/N:_ itadakimasu_-"I gratefully receive." This is spoken before one begins eating. This is part of Japanese table manners.


	9. 8: Soiled

8: Soiled

* * *

The wine pouring was a failure. Mey-Rin went blank-minded from stress, when Kagome introduced the bottle of red alcohol. She then had to remind her to pour into the eating Mr. Chlaus' glass, by the whispering in the maid's ear. Because of closeness of the female butler's skin, Mey-Rin transformed into a nervous swooning wreck and spun her way toward the table.

And soiled the tablecloth with wine.

Ciel stared, wide-eyed, the clasped piece of meat halfway to his mouth. Baldroy and Finnian were freaking out, their hard works had been undone by Mey-Rin's clumsy accident.

Mr. Chlaus was, thankfully, distracted, by both the scenery and the begging dog he was giving tiny pieces of meat to.

It was a second-split decision and even a quicker action, Kagome ripped the cloth off the table and folded it into a perfect square, without even disturbing the plates, glasses, the eating utensils, and decorations that sat on the table. She tucked the cloth underneath her chest.

Ciel resumed eating. Two snooping males released a sigh of relief.

The dog released a delayed bark of surprise, prompting his owner to look, "Eh?!" Mr. Chlaus shouted at the absent cloth, "Where did the tablecloth go?!"

Ciel swallowed the food, "Don't let it worry you. It got a bit dirty, so it was removed."

Kagome tipped at her waist, "We apologized for the inconveniences. Please, continue enjoying your meal." She retreated to the inside, where she was treated with praises from the men, and babbling apologizes from the mortified maid.

She planted herself against a wall, relieved, "Oh, my, just in time too." The stained cloth drooped from her chest.

Baldroy coughed, his skin hot, "Umm, Ms. Kagome, you might want to change your bl-blouse."

Kagome opened her eyes and saw Finnian cupping his face out of embarrassment and Mey-Rin, who was once again, passed out on the floor with her head in her apron. Tanaka was still tossing confetti, for whatever reasons he himself only knew. "Hm?" She looked down, and saw her chest stained brightly red, from when she was hugging the damped tablecloth, "Oh, oh my, how troublesome."


	10. 9: Delicious

9: Delicious

* * *

"I must say, as strange as it was to have a woman as your butler, she really is quite skillful and far more suited to that demanding position than any men!" Mr. Chlaus sighed, almost in envy, "I almost wished to have her in my employment, certainly."

Ciel smiled, flattered by his compliment to his lady butler, "It is only natural for I to have such a skillful servant, as unconventional of Kagome's gender." He chuckled, twining his fingers together and set his elbows down on the table, not minding the manners as a child are used to do, "Why, I even think it was her being a woman had brought me even more opportunities, than any plain butler could!"

Mr. Chlaus blinked, "Oh?" Realizations dawned, and he laughed, "It seemed even the coldest businessmen had fallen for her charms, eh? I didn't even think you manipulated _that _into playing your games." Without his notice, his dog, Ailbhe slipped away.

The earl did, and he narrowed his eye, but made no indication to bring the wandering dog to attention. If Mr. Chlaus failed to train his dog completely, then that's the blame he must accept. Ciel could only hope the animal would not leave any additional chores for his overworked servants.

Ciel smiled, thin cruelty dancing on his lips, "All children are greedy when it comes to games, Mr. Chlaus. Surely you know that."

"Yes, yes," the gentleman sighed excessively, "surely she must have possessed some extraordinary skills to be part of your employment? That's quite strict of you."

The boy toyed with a shiny spoon, "Naturally, but I didn't hire her just for that." He caught his reflection and it looked back at him, smiling wickedly, "I haven't had my sweets more delicious than those by Kagome's."

Mr. Chlaus rolled into a laughter, "Sweets? That's your main reason, eh?"

Ciel didn't reply to his jest, and turned his eye to the door ahead, "I await in anticipation for desserts."


	11. 10: Absence

10: Absence

* * *

After teasing the youthful gardener and the sweet-toothed chef and a changed blouse, Kagome brought out plates of salivating sweets and passed a plate toward her young master and then to the guest. It was then she noticed the absence of the guest's treasured dog. A glance to her master for a silent permission to retreat, she left to hunt after he dropped his head in a tiny nod.

Kagome paced through the side of the manor, and spotted the gleaming white eyes of the dog, glaring at her. Broken pieces of the steel gate shined from his grinding teeth. Small portions of the fence itself was wrecked, the bars bended and ripped.

"Ah, so it was you who destroyed your master's fence." Kagome murmured, "What a terrible pet you are. You cannot control your appetite, it seemed."

"Oh, sod off, whore! " The dog yapped, the snout rolled into multiple folds, proudly showing off his large, sharp teeth.

Kagome gave a mock gasp, "Oh so you can speak!" She shook her head, "Tsk tsk, what a mouth you have." She tapped a finger on her chin, wondering out loud, "So how did a carriage come in play? Had you frighten the horse with your shiny eyes and drove it to wreck the door? There was no gate any longer, I imagined."

"You damned my ancestors!" Ailbhe snarled, having already devoured the metal. Ripples of raised fur stood from his back, deep growls fleeing from his throat.

"My, my, you lots still think that?" the female butler sighed, "Such a stubborn brood, honestly…" She glanced at the damages, "I still intend to keep my warnings, son of the white dog. If you do not comply, I shall rid you and gift your dear master a dog not of your brood and he will not know otherwise."

The dog paused his snarling, thinking twice.

"Had your stomach won out, or shall you comply?" Kagome eyed the animal.

She didn't get an answer.

"Misssss Kaaaaagooommmeee! Dogggggieeee!" It was Finnian, looking for now noticed missing the favorite butler and the pet dog.

Kagome cupped her cheek, "Oh dear Sir Chlaus noticed your absence, mutt." She frowned at the missing fence, "And I must fix what you damaged. Disciplines will come to you later, which I am positive of."

Ailbhe whimpered, his ears were flattened against his skull at the sense of foreboding, and his tail tucked under his hide.

"Ah, there you two are!" Finnian gasped, spotting the pair.

Kagome gave him a gentle smile, after she was caught patting scared-faced pet, "Finnian, how can I help you?" The fence was returned in its' former glory.

"Mr. Chlaus wanted to thank you for your hard works today!" He grinned widely, excited.

Her fingers flew to her lips, wide eyes blinking, "Oh? But it was unnecessary…" She cupped her cheek, "I only did so as my master bid me to. It is, after all, my duty."

"Yeah, well, he wanted to, anyway. He already did to Mr. Tanaka, Mey-Rin and Baldroy!" Finnian couldn't stay still.

Kagome tilted her head, "What's of you, Finnian? Had he yet thanked you?"

He threw his arms to the sky, hopping on his feet, "Mr. Chlaus thanked me by letting me to play with his doggie, before he goes!"

She clapped her hands, genuinely happy for Finnian for one small blessing, "Oh, how kind of him! I know how much you like dogs." Kagome smirked deviously to the dog, who then became wary just by that expression, "I'll let you two get right on your play session then! I must not keep the good guest waiting."

The gardener cheered, lunging after a trembling Ailbhe for an intense petting time, "Come on, puppy! Let's go play!"

The dog cried.

Meanwhile on the way to bid a farewell to the guest Kagome snickered in glee, "That's a good enough discipline as any!"


	12. 11: Night

11: Night

* * *

The moon was high in the sky, among its' tiny children. Mr. Chlaus and his exhausted (and suspiciously limping) dog had long since left for home. And Ciel was getting ready for bed.

Thin hands gripped the bowl tightly as it poured water gently over the young boy's shampooed head, ridding soap from his silky hair and thoroughly-washed skin. Ciel withdrew in his bathtub with a satisfied sigh, "Today was a successful day, as always."

Kagome, on her knees, chuckled, as she was dipping the bowl for more water, "So had your negotiations gone well, then?"

"But of course." Ciel smirked, flicking lightly at the heated water, "My competitions shall be defeated, and come crawling to me, begging me for reprieves!"

She smiled, kindly, "They will, milord, as long as you are ruthless."

He paused, criticizing that smile. And then, after few long minutes, he glared, "I don't like that smile." The white-blue lines of the contract glowed evilly at her, "It doesn't suit you."

His lady butler chuckled, pouring soap in her cupped hand, "And why would you say that, young master?" Her black nails openly mocked the boy, as they forever reminded him as of what she is. The circle mark was bold on her left hand, the very same design of what resigned in his right eye. It got bubbled over with shampoo, when her hands massaged his hair for the second time.

"It's fake." Ciel decided, "As you are."

The smile shrunk, now with a sad edge. She agreed, "When the truth was changed into a lie, nothing is any longer a truth."

"…" He was quiet, now pondering over her words.

Kagome picked up the bowl, "Head down, please." The boy did as he was requested, and felt the bubbles of scented cleansing chemicals rolled from his body. Gradually melting away into the warm body of water that awaited underneath.

"Ah," she shooed backward, to give him some space, gathering together the supplies she used to wash the young lord, "do you want one moment of relaxation for yourself? The water is still good."

She didn't need an answer. She just bowed, moved to put away the supplies and to dry her hands, and she left. She left him alone to his thoughts.

Ciel eyed the murky water, before he deemed it safe to rest in.

"…They never thought to look in their sinks and bathtubs for monsters, did they?" He murmured, "Yet here I am, mingling with such a creature…" The boy said no more, closing his eyes and let himself drown in the water, if only for a short moment.

After all she will never let him to die.

The water was a warm embrace, reminding him of his mother's hugs.

He felt a strange prick of awareness, and his eyes slid open. Something dangerous stared at him through the murky water, and he stared back. He never went up, managing the eye contact with the thing from underwater.

A pair of devilish hands broke into the water and lunged for him, curved nails glinted under the dim lights and the sickly skins looked rotten to him.

And he was forcibly dragged out, air slammed into his starved lungs. He choked and coughed, shrugging away the lithe hands off his small shoulders.

Kagome chuckled, towels perching on a shoulder, "Alright, I think you had a long enough moment now, milord."

Ciel scowled, now wheezing, but allowed himself to be helped up to his feet. Kagome, as gentle as she could be, rubbed his head dry, carefully minding his nakedness. She was a woman after all.

Even if he saw no point to it, when she attended to him every single day.

He stepped out from his bathtub to be rubbed clean of water. After that was done he was made to wear his pajama.

He watched Kagome to pluck the plug from the drain, and the water to slowly swirl its way to the depth below. He was led to his room and was tucked into his bed. Ciel remembered her bidding him a good night and the dim lights of the candles were extinguished, dropping the complete darkness on him.

The gentle darkness lured him to sleep.

The gentle darkness who now wore a face of his kind, good mother.

_She who drowned, may she live evermore._


	13. 12: Disciplines

12: Disciplines

* * *

With the good master in bed, it was time to discipline the three fools. Kagome broadened her shoulders, her eyes shut, and her hands clasped behind her back. The said three winced from her worn expression.

"I will tell you this, while today was successful with Mr. Chlaus, you all were not. You gave me, and yourselves, hindrances." A heavy frown was brightly obvious on her gentle face. The trios whimpered, but didn't speak a word. She continued, "I know that I trained you lots better than this. And I also know that I helped you to control your impulses."

They hang their heads, in shame. In the background, a lively water fountain rolled down its' multiple waterfalls and had a large honking white goose, waddling cheerfully in its' water. The night sky had the thousands of stars shined and blinked, clashing against the low lights that glowed from the garden.

Kagome crossed her arms, her lips pressed tight at the three, "I understand you wanted to show off new skills I had taught you," They nodded at this, but their heads were still lowered, "but you showed no attempt to control yourselves at all today."

Mey-Rin, Finnian, and Baldroy slowly nodded, fretting, but held their words trapped on their tongues.

"I will apologize," they rose their heads in surprise at that word, "if I impressed you all with no duties to be part of," Kagome's shoulders shrugged, and before they can protest, she continued, "when, in fact, I had those very duties ready for you."

"Miss Kagome…" They wilted, ashamed at this newfound truth.

"Baldroy, I was tending the meat ready for you, so you can prepare it for Mr. Chlaus." Baldroy whimpered at Kagome's declaration, feeling very guilty, "I still do not trust you with meats yet, but I had trusted you with everything else. You have been doing well with preparation of suppers. Even Young Master was fooled that he thought I had a large part of his daily meals, when I only did half the works. I was very willing to let you to impress the guest."

He moaned, "I'm so sorry, boss…" Baldroy fully remembered how she gave his name to Mr. Chlaus, telling him that he was the one that made the Donburi, even when _she_ was the one that did everything outside of simply placing down meats on the rice. His stomach dropped.

"That meant we are back to the lesson one of cooking, again." Kagome reminded Baldroy, "Impulse control."

He accepted, with a regretful nod.

"Finnian," the boyish gardener paled, "I taught you to think of consequences." Sadly he nodded to her words, "I taught you to look at every tool you have. Are they locked? Are they put up, properly? Are they readily available when you need them?" Finnian tucked in his fingers, squirming, and nodded more. Kagome sighed, "Because of your failure to check the weed killer tank, I will be forced to look after you, until I am certain you make thinking ahead into a habit again."

Finnian sighed, already feeling like a child again. He just wanted to be treated like an adult…

"Pity, because I was hoping you can show off your sunflowers and roses to Mr. Chlaus, and to give him a bouquet yourself." Kagome shook her head, her shoulders pulled low, "As strange as the mix of those flowers are, they are rather beautiful together." Finnian whined to this, hurt, but he understood completely.

He twiddled his thumbs, looking back to the cheerfully in bliss of ignorance goose in the water, "You ain't gonna take away Samson from me, aren't you?"

Hearing its' name, the goose stopped waddling in the water, and turned to Finnian, "Ronk? rronk, rronk!" It climbed out of the fountain and stormed to Finnian, with its' great wings flapping in a hurry, "Rrrrrronk!"

"Oh, Samson." Finnian dropped to his knees, letting the goose rubbing its' head on his arm. Unable to take the thought of his feathery best friend taken away, he grabbed it into a hug, "Please don't take him away!" He wailed.

Samson honked, in surprise, kicking its orange webbed feet.

Kagome eyed the young gardener, picking up a hand to stop his rant, "Remember your strength training, Finnian." He loosened the grip on his pet goose, "Plus, you passed that one already, so I would have no reason to take away Samson, especially when he had nothing to do with your mistake today."

"Oh." Finnian stuffed his face into the mass of white feathers, his body staggered into a long relief. "Thanks."

"Rr-onk." Samson grimaced, but content with being showered with attention.

Unbeknown to Finnian, Baldroy and Mey-Rin too gave a sigh of relief at keeping the goose. They were rather fond of the wacky thing, after all.

"Mey-Rin," the aforementioned maid squeaked, fidgeting, "your balance left a lot to desire. And your performance today, showed me that you're unable to focus on tasks under stress." She drooped under Kagome's criticisms, "I was positive you were ready and be able to show what you are capable of, but now…I'm not so sure you are. We will be resuming your balance lessons and to improve your abilities under stress as well." Kagome pointed out, her face verily neutral to her fiddling underlings.

Mey-Rin couldn't speak, her face red with humiliation, but she nodded wearily.

"Am I understood?" Kagome eyed the three.

Weakly, they exclaimed mutually, "Understood…"

"I must admit, I do not like to be the villain when it came to this," Kagome confessed, ignoring their verbal disagreements, "but disciplines had to be done. As we are servants of the Phantomhive family, we cannot afford them embarrassment and I cannot afford you all to be dependent on me to continue correcting your mistakes. For this, I'm doing my best and also of as my duties, to make sure you three will not make a shame out of our young lord."

They nodded, Samson the goose long since on the ground, attentive to Kagome's preaching.

"As you have faith in me, I wish to have faith in you all to be responsible and to be the best you can be, for Master Ciel. Until then, let's work together to be the best you all can be and have Young Master be proud of having servants like you all!"

They cheered.

* * *

A/N: Surprise Goose! :'D


	14. 13: Horns

13: Horns

* * *

She rose from the gaping wound that was in between the poor soul's chest, what seemed like black water tinkled and rolled from her skin. Maleficent horns branched from the back of her head like a crown, both perforated ends suspended with hanging jewelries. They were _sharp_. Those ends curved and tunneled toward her eyes, but never touching. Her shiny mane were stuck on her damp, black-watered skin, and made into her own cape as it left water tracks behind.

Protruding from her back, thin film of sticky leathers were dragged among the bloodied floor, twitching and torn. Her skin was white, and her eyes…he could never forget her eyes. Her brilliant blue eyes that gleamed from the dark. She refused the begging fools, all overjoyed by her arrival from the depth of hell. Her _eyes_ then landed on the boy in the cage.

"Was it also ye that called to I?" Her voice…

Her voice_s_…so many grinded in one beautifully tragic sound.

A cold shiver ran through his spine, his mind screamed from the horror that was she. But his heart cried in relief.

He could not say nothing, his trembling eyes never leaving the hellish being. He could not look away.

It was his eyes that gave the creature her answer.

"Very well. This one shall too show you the power I wield." Within matter of minutes she slaughtered and tortured the masked fools who sought to use his life to bring them power. She left few alive-already dying-, prolonging their suffering, and to witness the exchanges between their young victim and the she-devil. A worthy price to pay for trying to use a devil for their own selfish gains.

She was not shy with her methods, gutting and mutilating these cruel lords and ladies. He watched it all, sickened yet found pleasure in viewing his sufferers being punished. Ripping long ropes of guts out of these pathetic bastards was her personal favorite, as he saw her repeating it out of sheer joy.

She trapped the doors so there would be no escaping from she-devil, before she lunged for her first victim. He remembered laughing when he heard them screaming from the gruesome sight, the very same way they laughed at him when he cried.

* * *

EDITED as of 10.6.15, minor changes.


	15. 14: Darkness

14: Darkness

* * *

Every victim was made to stay alive to watch themselves being ripped apart; seeing their own skin, sinews, fats, organs, and everything in between, coming off their bones, before meeting their messy ends, at lasts, at the devil whore's courtesy. The thing from hell didn't reserve herself from taunting them for their failures and sins, the crying audience were clamoring over each other to get away.

Her black water would go and assault a fool's mouth and drown them from the inside, seemingly stabbing, scratching, and poisoning every organ within. The screams from those fools her black water had ravaged and lacerated, were delicious.

He thought it happened for hours, when the entire show ended only in minutes. He recoiled when the she-thing appeared in front of his prison, fear crippling him.

Murky water rose, to hide the bodies. Many candles' flames swiftly died, and low-light bulbs blew up, with a hissing crackle. The damp darkness fell. He could hear constant drippings of water that blanketed the walls. The ceiling leaked with slow fall of inky torrents. No water came close to him, at which he felt relief for, but was discomforted at the darkness. He could no longer see the torn bodies of his sufferers, and could barely see the she-thing with only two surviving candles at both frontal corners of his cage.

"Be calm, young one." The echoing voice soothed, when she lowered her blackened knees to meet his eyes, "Is this not what ye also wanted?" Dangerous water pooled from where she kneeled, her body dripping terrible things. Those water, though, still never touched him.

It took long minutes, but he gave her a trembling nod, speechless.

She smiled, serenely, yet it unmatched her hideous appearance, "In the exchange of thy soul, I shall be thy servant in life. Do thou not agree?"

The word, yes, was on the very tip of his tongue, but he was afraid.

The thing looked as if she wanted to sigh at his distress, "Ye will never enter the heaven should you agree to mine offer. Ye shall rot with mine own ten of thousand sins should ye allow a being such as I gift thee unimaginable powers to command."

Power? To command? Anger rolled in, mashed together with grief and pain, and he stared, _stared_, right the devil whore's beautifully ugly eyes. She repeated, to allow her words to puncture through his grief-fogged mind, taunting him.

_Revenge?_

The yes came loose, in a loud cry.


	16. 15: Memories

15: Memories

* * *

Ciel woke, with a gasp. His skin had a thin film of sweat, reminding him of what the drenched creature perpetually wore.

"My lord, had you a nightmare?" Kagome frowned, worry enriched in her bright, human eyes. She drew open the curtains, freeing the morning light to rain in his room. She had been watching him writhing and tossing in his bed, debating if she should awake him and be staring into the barrel of his gun again, or just let him to fight the dream on his own. Ciel realized this, as she always made to check on him during every nightmare he had.

He shook his head, reclining against his crumbled pillows. He wiped his brows with a sleeve, "No. Memories. I was dreaming memories." Ciel rested his head against her soft hands as they reached to tame his wild hair, contented.

"Doesn't look as if they're good memories to have, milord." Kagome's brows drew together, her eyes watched him warily.

Ciel disagreed, relaxing to his lady butler's tender cares, "No, they're good memories, Kagome. Very good memories." Tiny residues of a lost smile formed his lips.

She dropped a brow, obviously wondering if she should ask, not believing his words. At his relief Kagome didn't.

She knew him well, after all.


	17. 16: Mice

16: Mice

* * *

"Gahhh, lordy, lordy, freakin' god damned mice!" Baldroy groaned at the chewed wire in his protected hands. He had his head inside a square hole, due to some recent issues with electrical lights, and groaned again the sight of the chewed-up mess, "They did numbers on the wiring!"

Mey-Rin pulled in her lips worriedly, seeing the damages from over the chef's shoulder, "I didn't think the outbreak would have spread all the way out here…That looked pretty bad."

"What should we do? Lay out traps?" Finnian chewed on his glove, Samson in his arms, "But Miss Kagome said they get smart too, so we can't use the same traps over 'n over…"

Baldroy removed himself from the flooring, slamming a fist on the nearby wall, "Good mother freakin' god, no wonder! I prepared traps two weeks ago, and got a ton of these lil' shits the first week. Second week, zip! Nada!" He groaned, cupping his face and biting back the stirring rage inside his chest, "If I had known these little whiskered shits can actually learn, I would have done things _differently_! Maybe prepare a division or somethin'!"

Finnian and Mey-Rin glanced at each other, pitying the ranting chef, "So, what should we do, Baldroy?"

"And now they're breeding a _fuckton_!" Baldroy bellowed at the last word, at the sight of an innocent-looking, _bold_, mouse staring at the trio.

"Squeak?" It twitched its' whiskers, not realizing its very presence was taunting them.

Finnian twitched, inching to a statue in a corner. Itching to smash it from existence. Baldroy and Mey-Rin blanched.

"No, Finny, remember the impulse control!" Baldroy snapped.

Mey-Rin piped in her two cents, "Think of the consequences too! I would have lay out thousands of mousetraps, and someone will get hurt!"

Finnian whimpered, now realizing the chaos he would have left behind and a disappointed butler they admired so much, "But mice are bad to have…"

Samson honked angrily, aggravated by the sad voices. He glared at the curious mouse, blaming the plague-carrying animal for the grief, and hissed. He squirmed and flapped out of Finnian's arms, and then lunged after the mouse in a sudden burst of speed.

"Rrrr-ooonnnnkkk! Ronk! _Rrrrronnkkkk!"_

"Samson!" Finnian gasped.

The mouse squealed, fear big in its beady eyes, and fled. The open-winged goose gave chase, snapping after its' tail with the orange beak.

"…Samson didn't have impulse control training though…" Mey-Rin remembered, shocked by the rage the bird exhibited.

Finnian was silent, startled by his feathery friend's temper he didn't know it had.

Baldroy blinked, chewing on the unlit cigarette in his mouth in thought, "That is…not a bad thing, isn't it? Because I think," the mouse shrieked when it finally got caught and was hanging from the bird's mouth, "we may finally have something the lil' shits can't outrun."

Samson paced toward the surprised servants, pride radiating from his body, "Rrronk!"

The mouse cried.

There was a glint in the chef's eyes, "Alright! Let's get them lil' fuckers, before they take over the manor!" The power in his voice made Finnian and Mey-Rin to cheer with him.

"Rrronnkkk?" Samson blinked, the mouse still hang from his beak.

Finnian bounced toward Samson, overjoyed by the goose's capability, "Thank you, Samson! Think you can catch more mice for us?"

The goose honked, agreeing, joyfully opened its wings to show its willingness, and…opened the beak by accident. The mouse was freed.

It landed on the ground with a minute noise, and _ran_ for its tiny life.

Everyone went quiet, for exactly seven seconds, before they roared at the escape, _"Gettttt itttttt!"_

They scrambled after the gray pest.

The screaming from the other side of the manor had Kagome pausing her routine in the kitchen. She spotted a streaking mouse, among the floor and frowned at its sneaky presence. She shook her head, disappointment weighted her shoulders, "And they are hauling profanities too, right where the young master and his guests are…"

She set down the spoon, and rolled down her sleeves, "Best to put an end to it, before they shame milord further…How troublesome." Kagome spun away from the turned-off oven, leaving the shimmying pan to sit.

She paid no mind to the husked body of the tiny mouse, as it was being taken away by a suspicious puddle of water.


	18. 17: Ace

17: Ace

* * *

Ciel purred when he dealt his ace of the cards, swiftly laying them out across the table, "Full house. I bet to say none of you have an even better hand." He smirked when his fellow gentlemen, and a fine lady in red, groaned and tossed away their lousy cards. Unwilling to separate from their hard earned prizes, they reluctantly gave him generous amount of their colorful tokens.

"Such a greedy child," a large man was disgruntled, snacking away his given meal of a sandwich, "just how carefully had you plan this?"

The boy sniggered, but didn't reveal the truth-that he already routed out multiple paths to achieve his goals ahead of time, even if some parts are pure luck. The victory in his eye vanished when he heard the sounds of his servants frantically chasing after the crying mice, "Hmp. Mice."

"Ugh," the plump man shook his head in disgust, "How long must the filthy things bring plagues to us, and rot our foods? Why are they free to roam?" He resigned from playing another round of the poker, as did a familiar man, choosing to drink a nice glass of whiskery instead.

The scar-faced man passed around the cards, speaking no words to anyone.

"Free to roam?" An Asian man laughed, tapping his cards, "He allowed them at large, you mean."

The lady in red agreed, tossing a card, "Quite right. He always had an eye for an ace." Red eyes glided to the amusing earl, "Will you be taking your turn again, Earl Phantomhive?" She cooed, her cards pressed to her chest.

"I raised the bet. I don't believe in dealing cards when they're not yet in my favor." He pushed all of his prizes, "All." The players eyed the growing prize, before glancing at their cards. The lady in red and the foreign man pressed the rest of their remaining tokens to join the pile, prompting the scarred man to do the same, grumbling.

A bespectacled gentleman, who took no part of the game from the beginning, grinded his teeth, "Enough of your talks! When will you get rid of the wandering mice?!"

Ciel laughed, "Soon. I already had Chlaus to secure the necessaries to do so." He withdrew a card, smirking.

The young earl tipped his head to introduce Mr. Chlaus, who causally drew a cigar and lit it in greeting. He inhaled and exhaled out smoke, "Heh." His dog, who he felt was free to bring with, eyed the scowling man from its lax position on the floor.

Ciel continued, "It will be quite a bother to find their nest and eradicate all that resigned there." The smirk sharpened, "I hope you have prepared a tidy sum, Lord Randall!"

Lord Randall paled, "Vulture!"

Ciel curled his fingers around his cards, continuing his mocking of the man, "Have you the right to insult my family crest? You who have spent a fortune on bloodhounds that cannot even catch even one mouse?"

"Blah, a foul!" The Chinese man injected, with a sigh. He rejected his cards, his inferior cards facing up, "I fold! This game is difficult. And I have no more tokens. A pity!"

"What would the Earl's cards be?" The Italian fellow, the very one with a hefty scar across his face, thought out loud. It was Ciel's turn to deal his own cards.

Ciel gave a criticizing look at his cards, "I supposed it is time I ended this silly game." He still kept his cards, and glanced at the retreating Mr. Randall, "When will you have my compensation ready?"

He growled, a hand on the knob, "…this evening."

"Very well, I will fetch someone to bring you a carriage to pick you up later today. I'll even have your favorite tea ready!" Ciel showed off a card to him, an Ace.

"You're a greedy child. And it will be your downfall, Phantomhive!" Mr. Randall snapped, making sure to slam the door close after him.

The young earl snickered, "Greed, eh?" and he revealed his entire hands.

A Royal Flush.

* * *

A/N: I have very little knowledge of poker games. Please excuse any error and feel free to correct me. And as for poker instead of a cue sports, well, I frankly think that game is better to show Ciel's ambitions than any billiard could.


	19. 18: Sheepish

18: Sheepish

* * *

Mice snatched and tossed far out of the window, Kagome shook her head at the guilty party, "I'd much rather you without profanities." Baldroy coughed.

"Yes, madam…" They chorused, their heads bowed.

"I do must say, Samson is proving to be an effective mouser." Kagome patted the goose's head, "I'm impressed. If all of you are willing to spend few hours every night, with Samson, I'm sure we will catch all of the pests before the week is over." Mey-Rin, Baldroy, Finnian, and Samson were sparkly-eyed.

Kagome continued, "Regardless, please get back to your works." She dismissed the trio and the honking goose.

"Yes, madam!"

They streaked away, prompting the butler to issue another order, "And no running in the manor!" At this they slowed, again embarrassed.

Kagome spotted Tanaka, as always, drinking his tea on his usual mat against a wall, "Would you like some additional tea, Mr. Tanaka?" She didn't get a reply, but she nodded just the same, "Alright, I will return to check on you. And thank you for not getting caught up in their antics. It's not good for your health."

"Oh oh oh." Tanaka laughed, sipping his drink.

"Good grief." She dropped a sigh, "And now I must attend to the young master and his lingering guests…"

* * *

A/N: A bit of a filler chapter, but a look in Kagome's treatments of the 'three idiots' are always good, haha. c':


	20. 19: Teas

19: Teas

* * *

A cart full of tea sets and a hot pot rolled up to the parlor room, and she knocked on the door, "Teas are here."

"Oh! Miss Kagome, come in! Grell, open the door for her, won't you?" A lady's voice called out, "Surely, you can do something as simple as that..." She added with a small chide, and a scrawny-looking bespectacled man pulled open the door. He was trembling, but wore a blush at the sight of the infamous lady butler.

Kagome greeted, pushing the cart in, "Young Master, Madame Red, Sir Lau and Lady Ran Mao, I brought teas."

"Hmp, don't spoil them too much, I don't want them to overstay their welcomes." Ciel remarked, accepting a cup on its saucer from his lady butler.

Lau gasped at the young earl's bluntness, "So mean! We aren't that horrible, aren't we, Ran Mao?" The woman comfortably on his laps, said nothing, merely accepting her delicious-smelling tea. She bowed her head in thanks, before savoring it. Lau was given his, "Say, what is this tea? It had a wonderful smell to it." He sniffed it, before tasting, "Sweet too."

"Fortnum and Mason's Darjeeling Tea, sir." Kagome smiled, pouring the tea into Madame Red's cup.

Red narrowed her eyes to her meek butler, "Pay attention, won't you? This is how one pour a tea."

Grell squeaked, but he nodded.

Kagome's brows creased, concerned about her fellow butler, "Would your butler be able to drink some tea, Madame Red? I understand that he's merely a butler, but his nerves seemed to be shot."

Red pulsed her lips, before dropping her head in a brief nod, "I suppose…just as long he don't spill it on the carpet. He's very clumsy."

"Very well. Sir Grell," he squeaked at his name, "would you like a cup? Darjeeling will calm your nerves." She held the cup on its saucer out to Grell, letting him to choose whether if he want to drink it or not.

Grell's blush was shaded darker, "O-oh, th-thank you. Very kind of you…" He humbly accepted. Grell squeaked again at the taste, "This is-is d-delicious!"

Kagome sparkled at his shy praise, "Oh, thank you." Deeper hue overtook his face again and the cup chattered at the saucer. She blinked at the noise, "Ah, perhaps you should put it down, Sir Grell, just until you can gain a better control of yourself." She guided him to a small table, "Put them there." She instructed.

He did so, looking slight humiliated, but still red as his mistress' favorite color, "Ah, th-thank you, madam."

Ciel grunted, but said nothing to his female butler's kindness. Kagome smiled at him, as she took her place between her master and Lau. The cart had been tucked away to a wall.

"Not only is your butler talented and marvelous, she's very considerate too!" Madame Red cooed, impressed, though she threw a disappointed glance at her still-shaking servant, "Why not quit and join my employment, hm? I'm certain Grell could use some personal training!" Grell flushed, _again_, bright red at this, finding her words to be easy to be taken out of context.

"Thank you for the offer, Madame Red, but Master Ciel had been good to me and I took pleasure working for him." Kagome declined. Seeing a pout forming on the lady's lips, she added, gently, "But I will gladly train him, if Master Ciel will allow it."

Madame Red perked, and she eyed a sighing Ciel.

"We'll speak of this later, Madame Red." He lounged in his seat, though annoyed at Kagome for suggesting such a thing without consulting him in private, "But I don't have any issue with it, as long your butler doesn't burden her too much."

She hummed in agreement, happy with the potential arrangement. Grell peeped with small noises, sounding much like mice earlier.

Lau patted a hand on her lower back, inching slowly down, "Oi...what's of me, hm? Why not work for me? I'm sure I can treat you much better than a mere child could!"

"Don't even think about it, Lau." Ciel muttered, eying the hand suspiciously.

"Lau!" Red gasped, shocked by such a blatant display. Grell shied away to behind his mistress, white as sheet, while wondering if there will be physical punishment on Lau occurring.

"Put that hand any lower, and I will happily remove it, Sir Lau." Kagome's smile was sharp, "I don't appreciate men who touch me without permission." Her words were cinched, flowing through her clenched teeth.

Lau pulled back his hand, surrendering to their demands, "Oh, alright, alright. I will admit, Miss Kagome have a lovely derriere."

Ran Mao pinched his ear in response.

"Ow."

Ciel glared, struggling to keep himself from shouting at Lau, "Please refrain from doing anything to my butler ever again, understood?"

"Certainly!" Lau laughed.

"Now, let's get back to the discussion. I have little time as it is." The young earl placed the saucer on the table, "Kagome, we will be hosting a party this evening, so please arrange a carriage to Lord Randall's home."

She placed a hand over her heart, and gave a bare bow, "Of course, milord. I will do so once this meeting is retired."

Ciel hummed in approval, "Good. Now, Lau, as you were saying…?"

* * *

EDITED as of 9.24.15, many sentences have been added.


	21. 20: Headache

20: Headache

* * *

Once Madame Red started yelling at Lau for invading her nephew's personal space when he offered his services to get rid of a mouse in such a lewd way, Ciel grew a pounding ache in his head from their loud exchanges. He removed himself from the parlor room for some time alone.

"Young Master?" Kagome tailed the boy, a drop of worry in her voice, "Are you well?" Ciel mutely rubbed his forehead, to which his butler nodded to, "I'll fetch you your tea and cake then? I'm certain it will leave you feeling better."

"Bring them to my study." Ciel muttered, groaning when a metaphorical hammer strike the front of his brain, "The headache is horrid."

"Wouldn't it be better if you rest in your bedroom instead?" Kagome chewed her painted lips.

"Blah, no. My time is tight as it is. I will be fine." Ciel waved it off, and stepped into the hallway, "Don't forget to arrange for Lord Randall's carriage."

Kagome tipped at her waist, "Very well, milord, I'll do as you say." She watched him retreating, her ears listening to Madame Red's angry fussing and Lau's laughter. For a moment she frowned, but resigned as if there is nothing to be done about it.

Whatever _it_ is.

Ciel heard the door behind him clicked closed, and rest his back against it with a sigh, "What a tedious day this is…" He stepped forward to his desk. He choked when he was pulled backward in a tight grip and felt a damp cloth slammed down on his mouth and his nose from behind. The odorless chloroform made ways quickly into his body, and he fell into a dreamless sleep. Ciel went limp against the intruder's.

"We got 'em, boss!"


	22. 21: Taken

21: Taken

* * *

Wheels turned perfectly smooth upon the waxed floor, teas inside its containers hardly rippled with the motion. Her high heels clanked against the ground, echoing in the silent hall. Kagome hummed under her breath, "_Lay me to sleep and kiss my eye_*…Ah, here we are." She stopped before the door of her master's study and swiftly knocked, "Young master, I got your tea and your cake!"

There was no response at all from her usually alert master, so she knocked again, "Young master?"

Still no answer. "Hm. May be sleeping…" Kagome hummed, turning the knob, "I'm coming in." She pulled her cart with.

What she saw had her sighing and cupping her cheeks, "Oh dear! Look at the mess!" The shelves were emptied, books were thrown and overturned. The dressers from her master's desk were ripped out and had its supplies tossed away. The window took the blunt of the attack, where the curtains were torn and the glass broken into.

And there were no Ciel in sight.

Kagome held her face, a hand tucked underneath her armpit, "Oh, oh my, how troublesome…now the cake is going to waste, with my master taken from me." A tired moan was spilled from her lips, "What to do, what to do…Should I clean this up, return the cart, or wait for my master to call?"

Her arms fell, gripping the handle of the cart, before she heard a particularly large shard of glass shattering on the floor, leaving a mark on the carpet, "This room then." Kagome decided, "My master will be alright, I'm sure, but oh, oh, my, he will be so late to the dinner meeting…" She said to herself, plucking a book to straighten it out, "Oh, oh my, dear, such a troublesome dilemma."

The book was returned to its original spot.

"My dear, there is no danger*…" Kagome swept up the broken shards from the carpet, quietly singing to herself, "We can burn it and leave…" The desk was righted, the dressers returned with its intended supplies inside, "No one suspects…" The window was repaired and the curtains fixed.

Kagome dusted her hands, before pushing her cart out of the hallway, the room back to its' former glory, "Now then…what's to do about the cake?" She frowned, pondering over on her plans that had been screwed up by her master's lacking presence, "Can't feed it to my master who is not here…What to do, what to do…"

Her heels clanked on the floor, echoing disconsolately.

* * *

A/N: She was singing lyrics by **A.F.I**, first is _Prelude 12/21_ (which I decided would be great as _Troublesome_'s main theme song) and latter _Beautiful Thieves_, for foreshadowing.


	23. 22: Money

22: Money

* * *

Ciel spat, his spit mixed with the redness of his blood smearing on the carpet, and glared at the man responsible for his kidnapping from the safety of his home, "So, it was you, Azzurro Vanel of the Ferro Family." He sneered, bruises on his face overlapping painfully.

The scar-faced Italian grinned, lighting his clipped cigar, "Figured the king of the toy palace would be a snot-nosed brat."

Ciel grimaced at the insult, "What is it that you want?"

Azzurro inhaled his cigar, before blowing a near-perfect circle of white smoke, "What else? Money, and you're in the way, as well are your tea-stained-brained Englishmen. You know, people like you," his Doberman dogs snarled softly from his glance to them, "made us Italian mafia have a very difficult time to consult business here in this tea-reeked country." Azzurro sighed from another inhale of his expensive cigar.

Then, he snickered, "Think about it," the Italian waved his cigar around to emphasize his point, "what is the best way for men like I to make money?"

The earl bit back a sigh at the idiot's boring lecture. Where is Kagome? Oh, right, because he needed to weed out a goddamn rat from his circle, so she waited instead for his signal.

"So, that leave drugs." Azzurro sneered, "When we arrived here, not a whiff of lovely smell of drugs. You Watchdogs cleaned them all out, leaving us nothing!"

Ciel shifted, not comfortable in the binds he was tied up in, "Since '68, the Queen decreed there be no violate drugs in Her country and prevent any further spread of accommodating of the dealers." His glare turned dark, as he declared the fact bluntly.

The Mafia Boss grunted, and turning away to toss up his arms, "And there we have it, good fellows! Englishmen are absolute prunes!" He announced to his chuckling men. He approached to the small boy, rising his face to level with the older man's, "Now then, we're a lot alike-we're out to make money, ya? So why not make a deal with me and you'll get home alive?" Azzurro blew smokes in Ciel's face.

He coughed, wrinkling his nose at the disgusting smell, "I have no intentions to scheming with filthy gutter rats like you."

Azzurro laughed, sitting on the corner of his desk, "So you say, but I can't help but wonder of the other fellows," referring of men in Ciel's circle, "sitting tight in fear of Ciel Phantomhive, the Queen's favorite sweeper of the dark." He flicked ashes off his cigar, letting it fall onto the ground, "We were very careful in Italy, didn't deal a single drug, yet we were spotted! Didn't think you'd use that Chlaus to find us!" The mafia boss laughed, making his men chortling with him.

He shut up his laughing and glared, "Now…" He met Ciel's eye, "Surely ya know what we want. Give us the drugs," and he grinned, "and you'll go home alive."

Ciel smirked, mocking him, "If I failed to return, Chlaus will turn over evidence to the government. It would be best to say good bye to your mafia."

The smile dropped from his face, "Ya fucking brat! You shouldn't look down to your elders!" Azzurro's pupils shrunk, in rage, "Where are my drugs?!" He snapped, and Ciel found himself staring down the barrel of his well-crafted gun, "I have my men waiting in your mansion, so if you don't spit out the drugs, I'll have your beloved servants offed one by one!" With a one-second pause, he added as an afterthought, "Hell, I'll even kill that fucking duck of yours!"

Ciel had to laugh, correcting him of Samson's proper species, "It is a goose."

"Does it look like I give a damn what that lil' feathered chicken shit is?!" The Italian man roared, "Fuck it, I'll have the shit killed too!"

Ciel was breathless from the hilarity of it all, and made the smirk into a devious smile, "Then I hope your men know how get around the game of 'play fetch'." His cheek was slammed with the cap of the Mafia boss' leather shoe. The force had his body fell to the carpet and was turned away from the enraged Azzurro to the wall. Something he was a bit thankful for. The binds restricted painfully raw from the kick, leaving breathless, but it kept him awake and the sleepiness of unconsciousness at bay.

There was a burning sensation at his back. The scar-faced bastard threw down his cigar on him.

There was a sound of the phone being picked up, and Azzurro yelled into the mouthpiece, "Hear that? Our negotiations broke down, so kill 'em!"


	24. 23: Letter

23: Letter

* * *

Kagome paced in the hallway, pretending to search for her taken master, "Oh, where can he be?" She sighed, "The cake came out lovely." The said cake was left in the kitchen, particularly because she didn't much feel like carrying it around like a fool.

"Miss Kagome!" Kagome looked from the behind, and saw Mey-Rin waving a folded paper to her, "You have a letter!"

Behind her was Finnian, Baldroy, and a honking Samson chasing the maid, frantically calling Mey-Rin to stop, "Why are you running?! Miss Kagome said no running in the manor!"

Kagome stared, deadpanned, _But all of you are running…and is Mey-Rin's left shoe untied? _She said nothing of it, "To whom was it addressed?" She glanced directly at something through the window, startling the man in the bush, before Kagome turned to Mey-Rin.

"To the attendant of Master Ciel! You!" Mey-Rin yelped, ignoring her co-workers behind her.

As she predicted, once the maid got dangerously close to the lady butler, she fell over her laces. And she collided with Kagome, and had her head embraced by the taller woman's breasts. Kagome, for once, allowed herself to lose her balance, a strand of her hair was clipped by a passing bullet that exploded the window. It shattered an ancient vase, and struck itself into the gold-painted wall.

She thudded on the carpet, and she simply laid there, staring at the tiled ceiling for one brief moment, hearing the assassin yelping and the crunching of the freshly cut grass from his fleeing. With a ball of air rolling from her mouth breaking her intense studying of the tiles above Kagome prodded Mey-Rin, "Mey-Rin, give me the letter."

Mey-Rin was stiff, unable to move from her superior's firm breasts, and missed Kagome's asking for the letter that was tightly gripped and crackled in her hand. The men and the goose were shocked, at the sight of an expressionless butler with a literal-streaming maid in between her bust and the shattered window.

"You three. I can't quite move with Mey-Rin on me. Help her off, won't you?" Kagome snapped, making the jealous males jumping out of their stupors. They stumbled over each other to pull the still-red-faced maid away from Kagome and rolled Mey-Rin onto the floor.

"Um, is she okay?" Finnian poked Mey-Rin in her face. She didn't twitch at all, but there was a drool from a corner of her happy mouth.

Kagome shook her head, a bit disgusted at the events, now on her knees, "I need to see the paper…Mey-Rin!" She was still unconscious, frozen stiff like a statue, "How troublesome." Kagome muttered, now tugging the paper, carefully exacting it from the bespectacled woman's rigor grip without tearing it.

Baldroy glanced out, watching a man with a rifle gun vanishing in the scrubs from the scene, "Huh, intruders…nasty pieces of work…" He looked back at Kagome and found her glaring at the paper, "What do you want us to do with 'em, boss?"

Kagome flapped the wrinkled paper to straighten it, before tucking it in a pocket inside her jacket, now on her heels, "I'll give chase to those that escaped, since they took our master-" Baldroy and Finnian's faces enriched with worries at this, "but if there are any more men _here_, get rid of them. If there are none, then please enjoy the cake in the kitchen. It'll be a waste otherwise."

"Yes, madam!" Finnian, Baldroy, and Samson, now perching on Finnian's head, saluted, confident that the butler will return their young master, alive.

Mey-Rin was still passed out on the floor.

In the background, Small Tanaka decided he wanted to give mice catching a try.

"Good, now, if you will excuse me," Kagome pointed to the hallway behind them, prompting the men to look back, "please patrol the area in that direction."

Baldroy nodded, turning his attention from her from her order, "Alrig-" he turned back and blinked, not seeing Kagome anywhere, "What the-?! Where did she go?" Finnian yelped, and Samson honked slowly, trembling. Baldroy rubbed his head, "Ninja, I guess." He shrugged, "Let's get on it then! Sooner we get done with the idiots, sooner we get to eat that delicious cake!" He pumped his arm. Finnian and Samson cheered.

Mey-Rin let out a long trail of squeal from her fallen position, curling into herself, "Mis-Miss Kago-Kagome's ch-chestttttt!"

Finnian blinked, a thought appeared in his head, "Hey, wait, what about Madame Red and Uncle Lau and his sis? Aren't they still here?"

"Awe, cripes." The chef groaned, "Guess we gonna convince 'em not to be nosy about it."

"Nosy about what? What just happened here?"

"Cripes."

* * *

A/N: Let's be honest. I really don't think, by judging of their real duties and the length of their time in the manor, they'd be that ignorant of the intruder that nearly killed Sebastian and Mey-Rin in canon media. I understand if Yana left it like that on purpose since it's very early on in the story, but surely there's another way she could have the trios looking ignorant of the blatant bullet in the wall. Just my 2 cents though. So, due to that, I made it so they do know and are doing something about it. c:'

EDITED as of 9.24.15, added a sentence or two. Some rewording.


	25. 24: Woof

24: Woof

* * *

"We failed, boss!" The hired hand cried in the mouthpiece, an unsteady hand holding the radio phone to an ear. The forest scenery zoomed on by, but neither took pleasures into seeing beautiful sights of the green nature. The car was bellowing a long cloud of dust and dirt in the hurry, as both the driver and the passenger winced when their boss roared at them with profanities.

"You useless screw-ups! This is why you're garbage!"

The passenger cringed, praying he will live through their boss' lashings. It was then he caught a glint of something strange in the cloud of dirt…a running shadow of human-shaped body. And it was chasing them.

It was so close the vehicle's rear that he could see a small, devious smile.

The other side of the connection, Azzurro sneered at his hired hands' failures, "Ugh…whatever, get back over here, alright, ya piece of shits?"

Then there were screaming. He had to laugh at the timing, "Did you run into a bear in the forest?" His men chuckled. Hope the bear eat them. Good riddance.

"Speed up! It's getting closer!" A man cried. Azzurro can hear the engine revving and protesting against the high speed it wasn't designed to handle. The gravels were grating against the reckless wheels. The whimpering panicking were ingrained with every sound he heard.

Azzurro sneered, at the persisting screaming, "Not funny. Cut it out already!" The men in the room frowned, curious as of just what kind of prank the two idiots were pulling.

Until everything went still. The engine was cut too quickly, something impossible in the current technology, and…he heard metal crunching. As if something heavy was walking on the top of the engine cover. There was a thin voice, he couldn't identify it, but he heard it, _"May I borrow your phone please?"_

Ciel sniggered, shifting over to see the Italian man's expression, while smoldering out the still-burning cigar with his weight, "Look like your men lost the game of fetch."

Enraged, Azzurro tossed the phone, stormed over and gave him his foot. Ciel gasped, his breath was stolen by the blow to his stomach. Azzurro then decided to give him a round of kicking, before he was sure the brat learned not to speak anymore. He didn't want to see Ciel's face either, so he hit him to face the white wall again.

He grabbed the phone and shrieked, "If you morons don't respond I'm going to kill you!"

"Good day," a feminine voice cooed, "this is one of Phantomhive servants." Azzurro paled, his heart pounded in his ears, "I am wondering, is my young master with you?" He couldn't speak, sweat drenching his skin, and his men looked upon him, uncertain, "Hello? Is my young master with you? Hello?" There was something about the voice that he didn't like.

Amusement.

There was _amusement_ in that voice, as if she was having total fun terrorizing damn fools of his men.

Azzurro couldn't speak. How could he? There is no way his men could have change their voices into that of a woman's. _Impossible_. Yet there she was, using the radio phone to communicate with him, and somehow she had metals grinding each other. He can hear them _groaning_.

"Hello?" She repeated.

Ciel answered the phone instead, "Woof!"

* * *

A/N: A nice reviewer asked a question, however, she/he is an anon, so I will leave my reply here. But please do try and get an account, so I may answer you all in private. Heck, if you're shy, just PM me your review. There is no problem at all about privacy. I will respect it.

Anyway, to Jayne, there's seemed to be some confusion regarding the Ciel/Kagome pairing…That _might_ happen. That _might_ _not_ happen. Haha, basically, that pairing is undecided as of now. I explained in most details in my profile about them. But to sum up what I said in my profile, this story is basically about **developing relationships** and **characters**, just not so much on romantic. Thus, my comment in the summary.

And yes, Sebastian will show up. That's all I can say about him, haha. I never kicked him out of the story, nor did I 'really' replace him. I do kind of think some of my readers may be surprised with his role in the plot later on!

Happy reading! And thanks for keeping up with this tale!


	26. 25: Inquiries

25: Inquiries

* * *

"Ah, there he is." Kagome laughed, "I shall collect him immediately. Please take my apologies for his intruding you and your time." She heard the phone chattering. The gentleman dropped his phone. Hm. She returned the phone to its container and handed it back to two wide-eyed men, "Thank you for letting me borrow this. I hope I didn't distress you too much."

They didn't say a word. The passenger surely felt the God had abandoned him, especially with how she intimidated them both.

Their car was an absolute wreck. It was resembling a crumbled up paper, with the metal sidings the exact same way. Only a few glass shards remained on the sole window. And, not only the car looked hellish, but so did the driver and the passenger. They had bruises and scrapes on their skins and fresh holes in their stained clothes.

"Now, if you don't mind, I do have few inquiries I need you two to answer." The cover crackled farther under her weight, when she kneeled before them. One glanced underneath her skirt, completely by accident, and she gave him a disappointed look, "That's not a gentlemanly thing to do in this kind of situation, young man."

He startled, realizing he was in a car that was literally teeing between life and death on a cliff, and removed his sight from her skirt immediately. "Sorry." He squeaked. His partner glared at him, but it didn't last long. How could he, when fear was the main thing they both were feeling?

"Umm, yes…what would-d you li-like to know, ma-madam?" The driver sputtered, quaking.

Kagome laughed breathlessly, "First question, what is the name of your owner?"

"It's…It's Azzurro Vanel of the Ferro Family!" One yelped, when the car tipped little toward their death, a bit too quickly.

"Last question. His place?" Kagome hummed, cupping her face, as if she was entertained by their fearful expressions.

The driver cried, "The hideout is in the northern part of the east end! It's a huge white mansion!"

Kagome glowed, "Oh, thank you! Most kind of you~" She stood up, the metal groaned. The car teed back to the life.

They smiled shakily, "You'll…you'll let us go, right?" One had their knuckles white from gripping the wheel so hard.

The passenger pleaded, "We're just…just Vanel's hired hands!"

Kagome turned away, but she looked at them, seemingly surprised by this truth, "Oh? Why didn't you just say so? You two must be terribly busy." For a brief second they grinned, happy that they will live. She hopped off the car, and it tipped too dangerously in the back without her weight to keep it balanced.

"Have a safe trip!" Kagome waved, smiling serenely.

Those happy faces transformed into that of horror, when they realized…the woman wasn't going to let them live.

They shrieked.

The car dropped into the depth below. Kagome checked the pocket watch, and sighed at the time, not minding the explosion that occurred, "My young master will be late to the dinner party…Oh, oh my, how troublesome." She clicked it close and tucking it back inside her jacket, "Best to hurry then."


	27. 26: Drowned

26: Drowned

* * *

Men gathered around the fenced mansion by Azzurro's command, their guns ready and their eyes sharp for any unwanted intruder.

_Tap_.

"Oh, oh my, such a spacious mansion." Kagome murmured, as she hopped before any man's eyes. Her voice had heads turning.

A man shouted, "A woman?! What can a little bitch do?" He was haughty. Men snickered, their guns lowering.

"Maybe she'd spread her legs for us, eh?" Another injected, laughing. Few men approached, lustful looks in eyes.

Kagome, insulted by their comments, shook her head, "Yet, none of you even question how I even sneaked past you lots, yet here you fools are, thinking with their second heads." The man closest to her started to choke, feeling his throat very dry, "Fools should learn not underestimate, hm?"

No longer than two minutes had passed, men sprawled on the ground, some hanging over the railing, and some were laying on the stairs. Countless dead and few still alive.

One man was gagging, his skin very dry, and his face looked hollow, and his eyes were burgling, "W-wa-water!" He grabbed her ankle, "Ne-need wa-ter!" The man gasped, desperate for relief. She saw his tongue swollen.

Kagome's shoulders stumped, "Since you asked…" She snapped a finger and kicked his hand off her foot. With that she turned away to the door, leaving the poor man choking on water, as it was _pouring_ out of his throat and nostrils, drowning him from the inside. He collapsed in a dead limp not too long after, his body unable to take the stress of water blooming inside. The water continued to gush from his mouth, a never-ending fountain, and it was pooling around his bloated body. The white concrete was made black, shaded by the flowing liquid.

"Remind me to turn that off when I leave with my master." Kagome nodded to herself, not bothering to make a grand entrance. She was polite enough to close the doors behind her. Few watchers saw her, and were baffled on how she managed to slip into their hideout with many guards. None heard any gunshot nor any sound of fighting from outside.

A man cried out, when he glanced out the window to check, the sight of his dead and dying friends enraged him, "Kill her!" Without a doubt, more men stormed in the lobby, all from the upstairs and aimed their guns and rained their bullets.

Kagome lunged onto the long table, plucking together a stack of the plates sat up prettily on the table. She reached the end, fingers curled over a plate. She whipped them at the men, one by one, and men fell, their heads and throats split open. Without any additional plates to throw she twirled off the table and grabbed the white cloth into a great sweep and she turned. The cloth soared through the air, blinding the men from her presence. The bullets were popping the flying fabric, tearing holes in it.

With men distracted and fooled by the sailing tablecloth and using the shade of the unlit platform to her full advantages, Kagome landed on a platform behind a fat cluster of men, on her hands, and turned her spread legs into a sharp circle, not minding her skirt, with her stilettos her weapon. She left a long slash on every men's back, breaking few arms in the progress, disabling them to turn on her.

Men shrieked, but couldn't move away because of their injuries, and their fellow partners from the opposite platform couldn't shoot without killing their comrades. Protected from more bullets for a time being, she repeated the attack multiple times, until she saw their spines bare raw and _chipped_. They were paralyzed. Kagome flipped on her magically-bloodless feet, and gracefully turned to slam a foot into a moaning man's back. He, howling from his snapped spine, spilled over the railing to his death.

With that man gone, the mafia members from the opposite platform saw an opening and resumed shooting. Kagome laughed at their oversight, and simply dove behind the dizzy, trembling, and whimpering men on their knees, allowing them to be put out of their misery instead and not by her own hands!

Men cried, when they realized they had murdered their own comrades.

More appeared from a door, summoned by the witnesses' rages, and Kagome decided a fellow will be lucky enough to see what was underneath her skirt. She, spinning on the railing to avoid bullets, twisted around a column, her legs wide and grappled a poor fellow's head between her thighs. "Enugh?!" The man was shocked enough to drop his gun, the impact on the floor had a poor another male shrieking when a stray ammo cut him in his loin.

She hooked her ankles together, locking the fellow's head in.

Using the gravity of motion from her turn around the column with her arms hugging it, Kagome pulled the man with and _lifted_ his body as she twirled around the pillar. _Snap!_ The lucky fellow's weight had pulled apart his neck and his struggling body went limp. His feet crashed into his comrades, flipping them away and few fell over the railing, and Kagome purposefully used the lucky fellow as her body shield from the ammunitions. The body was riddled with bloody holes, and she turned back to the inside of the platform once more, sending men flying overboard.

Getting bored with circling around the pillar for the third time, she parted her thighs to let go the dead lucky fellow and his body _flew_ over to the other side, crashing into a group of men that was there. Three were dead on the impact.

With one platform temporarily free of men she hopped behind a column, shielding herself from the raining bullets. Kagome pulled out her watch and clicked it open, "Tsk, 5:39…I don't have time for this." She frowned, "Drastic measure must be taken to get rid of the mice then." She snapped a finger.

The walls were dripping water. Followed with that were the echoing sound of doors closing and locking themselves, automatically. Confusion stilled the bullets, and men shouted among themselves. The drippings grew fatter, wilder, and faster. The ceiling started to pour torrents of water. The men panicked and tried to kick open the doors.

The floor below already had a shallow flood, steadily growing.

"What is in the fine fucking hell is going on?!" A man shrieked.

The flood already reached over the top height of the door below-the very one she entered from. Few bodies that fell over to the ground floor before, were floating, their blood weakly dying the water.

"This is impossible! Did the pipes burst or something?!"

Kagome whistled cheerfully. 5:41.

The water rose all the way to the ceiling. Unlike the hired guards that floated to the top, struggling to breathe and gasping for what little air that were there and banging on the ceiling, Kagome was still, behind the same column, with her feet firmly on the white floor. She had no need to breathe, and her hair and clothes defied gravity and remained down.

"It will take too long for them to die." Kagome remembered, "Takes 7 minutes for a healthy human being to drown, so…a helping hand is needed." She snapped her finger again, and the light bulbs, barely untouched from the high tide, blew from the ceiling. The electricity slithered from the cores and met with the flood, making it very reactive and flashing with blinding light.

The men's screaming and desperate gasping can be heard even through the thick walls.

5:43. There was no longer a flood, nor were there any evidence of water or blown lights anywhere in the entrance room. The room was just as it was before, minus the absent plates and the cloth off its table. And there were suspiciously clean bodies strewn everywhere, even in oddest of places. Why, there were even two on the chandelier!

Their clothes were dry.

Not a drop of water anywhere, but within their bloated bodies.

Kagome straightened her dry clothes, before the door that will bring her to her master, "Now, with that out of the way…No more delays!"

* * *

A/N: Mannnn I'm bad at writing actions. Nuggg. But, ah, Kagome's legs thing are inspired by Sanji from _One Piece_.

**EDITED as of 9.24.15, editing is still in progress. Will consult with a friend for an half-overhaul of this chapter soon.**


	28. 27: Knock

27: Knock

* * *

The death screams unnerved Azzurro. When they ended so suddenly, he was sweating so profusely that drops didn't stop sliding off his thick fingers. Now he can hear the clanks of high heels approaching, he kept his trembling gun right at the door. He was finally positive it was a woman-not only the voice was a clue, no one half-decent man would wear such a noisy pair of shoes.

Must be a heck of ugly brute, if she can get past many of his best guards.

The footsteps stopped, just right before the door, and Azzurro pressed a finger on the trigger.

Half expecting the knobs to jiggled, he blinked when the woman opted to knock on the door instead, "Is my young master in this room?" She inquired, her voice polite and professional.

He wanted to lie and say no out of fear (why wouldn't he, when the woman apparently took on eighty of his men?), but the curiosity of the woman's identity and appearance won over, "If ya talking about the brat Phantomhive, then yes he's here." Azzurro warily answered.

Ciel rolled his eye from his lady butler's politeness, but said nothing.

"Oh, good to hear. May I enter?" The woman cooed, the knobs slowly turning, but the doors remained close.

Azzurro grumbled, increasingly annoyed, "Yes, why not? You're going to get killed anyway."

The doors revealed the woman at last, and she was much too small and pretty to be considered a brute. Her pressed black suit jacket and the pencil skirt that reached before her knees showed her status as a butler, the red-jeweled brooch on her neck mocking him. She folded her gloved hands on her laps, and tipped at her waist to him, "I've come to collect my master."

"What the-?" His jaws were slacked-this little hot piece of foreign ass, spun through his men like they were nothing?! Azzurro didn't lower his gun, but lightened his grip a bit, "You? A woman? Who the hell are you anyway, Mulan*?"

Kagome blinked at the nickname, "Mulan?" She coughed, shrugging the name off, "I'm my young master's Lady Butler, and I came to return him to his home. I am just a butler. Nothing more."

"Lady Butler? Isn't that the same thing as a head maid?" Azzurro muttered, but shook his head, "I must say, I'm surprised a _woman_ got passed by my men." He lowered his gun, twirling it as if he was expecting her to turn away, "I have no intention to go at it with ya, so why don't you shoo that tight lil' ass of yours all the way to home?"

"Oh?" Kagome reached in her jacket, ignoring the man's gross comment, and flipped open a crumbled letter for him to see, "Yet you made a personal request to me?"

Azzurro stepped back, "Huh!" there it was, the very letter meant for the attendant of the Watchdog. "I guess you're a real deal." He looked troubled, but with some considerable pause, he walked backward, with his gun still pointed at the woman.

Ciel yelped, when his hair was pulled upward in the drug dealer's grip, and the cold steel of the gun was pressed against his temple. Kagome gasped at the brutal action and her eyes widened at the sight of her abused master, "Young master!"

Azzurro grinned, the boy's head in his tight grasp, "I'll let your little boy go, if you brought the item."

_Such a pity too-she got a hell of legs, that one._

Kagome tucked back the paper and took out the key-the very key to the warehouse his Mafia had been eying on. The warehouse full of drugs. "Yes, I have it with me." She held up the tiny piece of bronze metal.

_Bang!_

* * *

A/N: *Mulan-yes, it is as you think it is, but it's not exactly the same with Disney's. Hua Mulan was a legendary figure in China who took her aging father's place and fought a war for 12 years. At the end though she refused all rewards and just slipped back home to live her life, happily. Her comrades were shocked, when they visited, that she was a woman the whole time, but they took it well.

Unlike Disney's version, there was no implication of her marrying anyone of her comrades and she wasn't rewarded because she's a woman doing an 'impossible' thing nor was she famous for defying her gender stereotypes. She was just simply a woman who carried out to protect her family's honor, fought a 12-year war, and retired quietly back to her home.

A reason why Azzurro, let's just assumes he's a fan of Chinese fairy tales, called Kagome Mulan, is because she's a woman playing a 'man's' role.


	29. 28: Cupful

28: Cupful

* * *

A stream of red flew from the side of her head, and she fell backward, her eyes wide. Ciel cried, "Kagome!" As a cruel joke, more bullets riddled her limped body, definitely ensuring her death. His eye shrunk, from the sight of his loyal servant on the floor, her blood expanding on the floor. He glared at his kidnapper.

Azzurro snickered, excited, "Sorry, honey, but I can't afford to leave any one loyal to this brat, alive." Two paintings were torn opened by flying bullets, each revealing a hidden room full of men with smoking guns. One of them approached the body, to pick up the dropped key.

The Mafia boss turned the kid's head to him, taunting him of his gained victory, "Look like I won, eh? You may be the master of games, but _I_ have an _Ace_ up my sleeves."

Ciel growled, but stilled his tongue.

The cold metal tapped the boy's forehead, and Azzurro clicked his tongue in thoughts, his fingers curling through the boy's hair, "I'll say, you're probably worth good money," the eye patch was untied and fell, but Ciel refused to open his right eye, "more so if that eye of yours works." The Italian mafia boss roughly pulled the earl's hair for Azzurro to level an eye contact with Ciel, "Come on now, don't be afraid to open that eye!"

"This is ridiculous," Ciel snarled, "Kagome, I'm done playing the game. Get up, and get rid of the mice already."

Azzurro glared, thinking the boy was in denial of his pet's death, "The bitch is de-" He stiffened at a man's sudden whimpers.

He turned to see why his men started panicking.

The woman's fingers were twitching, before they curled completely. Dark blue eyes opened, sending men into screaming and scrambling backward. Kagome _rose_ up, to her waist, her legs turning-so repulsively!- to be tucked underneath her body. She rolled into herself, hacking into a hand, with her sticky hair disguising the gruesome action. The scene was like something out of a horror show.

Kagome flipped her damp hair back and held up a cupful of bullets in their line of sights. She was smiling, despite red lines of blood ruining her face, "My, my, this is not how you should treat a lady." She giggled, "I will say though, modern guns are much more improved than they were hundreds of years ago."

"What the _fuck_?! That's _impossible_!" Azzurro had to remember to control his bladders, "Get her!"

Before his men could try, Kagome was on her feet and she commented, "I don't want these, so please have them back." Her hand whipped, flickering the ammos back to their owners. Their heads threw backward, and they fell into a heap.

Ciel was dropped to the floor, and Azzurro was shaking from the sight of his men's sudden deaths.

Kagome chewed her lips at the sight of her abused master, "Oh, my poor master. You had been treated so horribly!" She cupped her mouth, her brows wrinkling.

"Like you're in any better state?" Ciel rose a brow, "Your clothes are ruined and your face is a mess."

She blinked, removing her glove from her mouth to see the fresh blood staining the fabric, "Ahhh, I didn't realize…I apologized that you had to see me like this…How unprofessional…" Kagome pouted, finger-combing her hair and checking herself. Indeed her master was right. Her blouse, and her _skirt_, had holes in them and they were also dirty, ruined from her bleeding.

"We'll get righted when we return home, I'm sure." Kagome dropped her hands. She walked toward Ciel.

Azzurro was out of his stupor and grabbed Ciel, his gun pressed tightly to the boy's temple, "A-ah, don't come any closer!" She didn't stop, "I'll shoot!" He threatened. Kagome finally did, and tilted her head, as if she was unsure on what's to do.

Meanwhile Ciel looked bored and was disgusted from the clammy feel of the man's sweat and his nasty breath. "Hurry up already. He reeked to high heaven." The earl muttered.

Kagome nodded, as if she was just given a correct answer, "Ah, alright, but he will kill you if I get any closer." She hesitated.

"Disobey me and you'll break the contract." Ciel reminded, squirming uncomfortably in the man's grips.

She smiled, "Give me an order then, and I will do as you say."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Azzurro shrieked, disturbed by the two's overly-causal dialogues, and the mouth of the gun left a mark on Ciel's skin. He pulled closer the boy, nearly choking him.

"You just had to be dramatic, don't you?" Ciel sighed in disgust, before he snapped open his right eye, "Save me this instant! This is an order!" The circle of the pentagram glowed brilliantly white.

Azzurro freaked, and pulled the trigger.

_Bang!_

The bullet never met Ciel's head.

* * *

A/N: Didn't want the same ending like the last chapter, haha;; I was tempted to though.


	30. 29: Game Over

29: Game Over

* * *

"Why isn't he dead?!" Azzurro quivered from the eerie of it all. Ciel glared at him, his right eye mocking.

He inhaled sharply when a breeze blew onto a side of his body, and an icy breath (is there a hint of death he was smelling?) rolled across his cheek. The woman was right next to him. "Is this yours, sir?" Kagome showed him the bullet he used to in an attempt to end Ciel's life.

Azzurro could only make nonsensical noises from his throat, when his damp eyes pulled him to her face. An impossibly beautiful face. With eyes that gleams in the darkness.

Kagome flicked it, and it entered into his right shoulder. He howled, releasing the boy master to palm his wound. Red blossoming on his white jacket and leaking through the spaces between his twitching fingers.

Ciel burrowed into Kagome's embraces, and allowed himself to be picked up in her arms, never minding the softness of her chest. He turned his head to glare at Azzurro, "This game wasn't all that fun." Ciel sulked, when Kagome relocated him to a chair at the corner of the room.

"With all of the abuses you took, of course it wouldn't." Kagome shook her head, lowering him to the comfortable seat, sidestepping over bodies, "There was a saying, I believe," Kagome racked her mind, as she was tearing apart the leather binds her poor master was wrapped up in, "'_It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt_'? Was that the one?"

Ciel shrugged, shaking the numbness out his arms, "You have a point."

Fully realizing the woman's abilities and that he _needed _her for his mafia, Azzurro inched over, the pain numbed over with adrenaline and dulling the shrieking warning bells within his head, "Wait, wait, be my bodyguard! I'll pay you five, no, _ten_ times the amount he's paying you!"

Ciel glared, "Hmp." He reclined in the seat, biting his tongue. It never had to do with money. _Never._

Kagome laughed, returning to her full height once she was sure her master was comfortable, "I'm terribly sorry, Sir Vanel, but I have no interest in wastes like you."

Azzurro begged, his jacket further ruined, inching closer, "I'll fetch you all the men you want, even women if you are into that!" With a cinched breath, he continued, "And all the drinks and drugs you can have! I'll fetch you the world, if I have to, if you will _just_join me!" The numb ached. The hand that cupped the wound was fully red.

She shook her head at his desperation, "Oh, poor dear, you do not fully understand." Her eyes lightened, the pupils sharpened.

Second thoughts raced through his head, startled by the change in her eyes.

"I am a demon, Sir Vanel," he can hear water running, but where was it coming from? "and I am loyal only to Ciel." Water grew from where she stood, and the wall became thick and black with drenched liquid, "By the contract formed between my master and I, I am little more than his guard dog." Her voice was reverberating. The light bulbs exploded, blanketing the room in blackness. Only soft moonlight-like glows, from where the boy and his lady butler were, in the water kept the darkness at bay.

Azzurro shivered, feeling water rising to his knees. The icy water that was _alive_. He couldn't escape it. He couldn't see any way to. He couldn't _move_. Too numbed from the cold.

A sob chocked from his throat, and his tears he shed was white with frost. The cancerous ice, he realized, even grew on his eyelashes and brows and turned his blood into red ice seeping from the injured shoulder. A quick glance to his skin, told him he was already blue with a fine layer of frost crackling at every movement he made.

The water was now at the middle of his torso.

Kagome approached him, her lighted water parted for her to keep her shoes dry, and lowered her head to meet his eyes, _hot_ fingers on his chin-which he flinched at- to keep the level, "Until his death I shall go through hell and pierce heavens for him and serve him the world should he ask it." She removed a glove with her jagged teeth, without ever breaking the eye contact.

For a moment Azzurro wondered if she can transfer the contract to him, but the glare in her eyes had him vetoing it, out of the fear of the unknown. "I am bound _only_ to my master, and no one else, in the exchange of his soul." She slipped away from his skin, showing him her bare hand, with the very same symbol Ciel wore in his eye, "It is as my contract demanded of me."

Ciel, bored, announced these very words that made Azzurro's soul stiffened, "This is game over."

Water crashed toward him, and he screamed.

* * *

A/N: Bye Azzurro! Try to stay warm where you're at!

No, but seriously, those of the eastern USA, please be safe and stay warm! It's pretty terrible outside where I live: got 8 inches of snow, and there are supposed to a rain coming and more snow after. Snow plus rain equals bad combo. And it's negative 12 degrees here.

The chapter was coincidental, since I wrote it long before winter came in, but I figured I should go ahead and post it because it had been sitting in my folder for too long.

Unbeta'd as always.


	31. 30: Dusk

30: Dusk

* * *

He didn't remember falling asleep, but there he was, cradled in the woman's arms like a babe with her breasts his pillows. He realized he was being carried home, the forest path too familiar to mistake. The sky was painted auburn, and for a moment, he saw his manor on fire. Ciel gasped, fully awake. It was his gasp that stilled his butler's pacing.

The manor was perfectly intact. There was no fire-simply an illusion cast by the dusk-hued sky. His shoulders slumped in relief.

"Milord?" He felt himself gripped tighter to her body, "Are you feeling well?"

Ciel felt like a child all over again.

The ache came back, rattling in his head. He squeezed his eye in response, and raised a hand to rub his forehead, "I will be."

Kagome resumed walking, her heels clicked softly against the dirt, "The dinner with Lord Randall will have to be postponed to a later date, tomorrow perhaps, if it meets with his schedule." She didn't sound happy about this, and Ciel looked up and realized her features were downturned.

"If this was about the lateness, it will be fine." Ciel was positive, "Besides, we got rid of the mice, so he cannot complain."

Her expression softened, "That is true…Still," her master shook his head, and she went quiet for a long moment. They were closer to the gate now.

"Masterrrrrr!"

"Miss Kagome!"

"Rrronnkkkk-ronk!"

The gleeful shouts paused the walk, and they saw two familiar faces (or rather three as the third was flapping wings to catch up to the servants) running up to them. They skidded to a stop before their master and the lady butler, "You both came back!" They chorused, relieved to see Ciel and Kagome safe and completely intact.

"Ronk!" Samson bumped into Finnian's leg, and was sent sprawling to his back.

"Oh, Mey-Rin, Finnian." Ciel murmured, nodding to the two in acknowledge.

Samson honked, annoyed, by not being recognized. He shook his tail to get the dirt off of his feathers.

He remedied that quickly, "And Samson."

Mey-Rin and Finnian pushed closer, their expressions verily curious.

Ciel pressed closer to Kagome, "What are you two dolts doing?"

"You looked like you're having fun up being so high…" Finnian squealed.

Mey-Rin shook her head, a bit green with envy, "How lucky!"

The young earl blanched, a dawn of embarrassed realization made its impact that the whole time he was in his butler's arms, he actually had been making himself comfortable with her breasts, "Wah! Put me down!" Ciel demanded, struggling against the woman, to get out.

Kagome did as she was told, and placed her lord gently on his feet, and removed herself from his body. Ciel huffed, patting his stained clothes, his face dusted with red. He looked at the trio, curiosity nipping his tongue, "Say, what are you three doing out here? Where's Baldroy?"

"Oh," Finnian twiddled his thumbs, "he, um, is cleaning messes now."

Mey-Rin decided Samson was more interesting, "Mister Baldroy got all the mice in the manor, but…"

Kagome palmed her face, "Please don't tell me he used explosions."

The maid and the gardener glanced at each other, before turning to her, "Errr, nooooo?"

"And you two had a part in this, did you?" Sheepishly they nodded mutely. Kagome groaned, pitching the skin in between her eyes, "Why are you two here instead of helping Baldroy?"

Ciel choked back a laugh at the face of misery Kagome was wearing.

"He said the gas line isn't off, so it's dangerous for us to be in the manor right now…" Mey-Rin chewed her lips.

Kagome blinked at the term, _off_, and gaped, "I completely forgot!" She snapped her finger.

"Eh?" Confusion abound.

She coughed, "Don't worry about it, just something I need to get back to…now," Kagome scanned around, before narrowing her eyes at the duo, "where is Mr. Tanaka?"

Finnian answered instead, chewing the plastic thumb of his glove, "Mr. Tanaka is in the gazebo, sleeping…"

"And what's of the guests?" Kagome crossed her arms, a foot tapping on the ground.

"They went home. We waited until they're gone to get the mice." Mey-Rin wrung her apron.

Finnian pulled out a letter from his pocket to Ciel, "Madame Red told me to give this to you. You should call her to let her know you're okay."

Ciel plucked the paper, sighing, "I'm guessing you lots didn't convince her?"

Mey-Rin and Finnian flushed.

Kagome went on, heading toward the gas-filled manor, "I should go ahead and see how bad it was in the manor and clean the mess. In the meanwhile," Kagome pointed to the duo, and Samson, "why don't you both take our Young Master someplace to sit down?"

They saluted. Ciel sighed.

Kagome smiled apologetic, "I will make sure to take care of everything for you tonight, young master, so please rest, alright?"

Ciel had nothing to say to that. She always kept her words.

* * *

A/N: Andddd here's the last of it for now. No idea when I'll get some time to write time. Hero is still my first priority (even though I haven't had any time to work on it either), but I'll try and split my time for this one too.

Also, those of you who lurks on tumblr, I'm considering taking iycrossover prompts. I'm thinking about following RainLily13's examples, in order to bettering myself as a writer by expanding my imagination and get into habit of writing more. What do you guys think?

My main tumblr is a mess though, so here's the secondary blog: **beautifulphantom-writes dot tumblr dot com**, if you wanted to go ahead and try giving me some prompts/memes. Up to you though! Have fun.


	32. 31: Puzzled

31: Puzzled

* * *

Few officers stared, baffled and frightened, when the bloated body quitted ejecting water out of blue. Just as strange for the dead body to be continually vomiting water, it creased without an obvious cause. The body looked as if it sighed in relief, the belly softened.

At last was there no more waterfall tirelessly pouring down from the stair the poor man was laying on.

"H…How…?" A rookie sputtered, puzzled and frightened by this strange event.

Randall sneered, disgusted, but just as confused as his partner, "I have no idea where is the water coming from, but yet, here they are. The infamous Italian Mafia…dead with no fireworks left behind." Despite the mystery behind this human water fountain phenomena Randall bared no thought of importance of this. It didn't matter. There will never be answers behind it. And he knew it.

The younger male nodded, a bit disturbed, "We are still trying to figure out how the men inside died. There are no evidence at all on how they were killed. They just…looked like they've dropped dead." He cringed when two officers carried a swollen body on a stretcher, thankfully covered with a white blanket, passed him, "There are few who had their…" He was a bit green in the face, "spines exposed and presumably snapped from blunt forces and died when they fell off from upstairs. Some of these very men had broken arms as well. We also presumed some of them were also driven to kill their own men, by the bullets found inside the bodies are from the same guns."

"What's of here, Abberline?" Randall leered at the bodies skewed about on the courtyard.

Abberline flinched slightly by his snappy tone, "Ah, some of them were killed by blunt forces to their heads. Others, including ones inside, we can't say, until our coroners give us an answer. The one who kept…" He was ignored.

The commissioner walked ahead, sidestepping many bodies to enter the mansion, ignoring his officers taking notes, "And what's about the head of the mafia?"

Abberline didn't wish to follow, but with some reluctance he caught up behind his superior, "That…well, there are evidence that he was here, but we couldn't find him."

He winced when Randall glared at him, "What do you mean you can't find him?"

The rookie stepped back, his shoulders tensed, "We have reasons to believe he was killed regardless of his missing body!"

Lord Randall's brow rose at this.

Abberline gestured, sweating from his brows from the commissioner's look, "I'll show you the room."

In the small portion of the room, where the smashed cigar laid, there were a long line of intestines removed and was left on the ground to rot. From of few bodies within the room, there was no one that looked as if they had their guts ripped out of their bodies.

"Is that-" Randall placed a hand over his mouth and nose, disgusted. The smell for some reason stank despite it didn't look it had been out for long. It was still reddish pink color, looked like it was still shiny new.

Abberline, a napkin masking his face, nodded, "Yes, we believed so. All of the men here retained their organs, so we believed this may belong to Azzurro Vanel. From reports he was known to be fond of smoking that specific brand of cigar," he pointed to a smashed cigar laying on the floor near to the line of guts, "and the brand was also uncommon and expensive."

Randall blinked at the name. It was the one with the scar on the face, from the brat's meeting, "…I have no reason to stay here then."

"Eh? Don't you want to catch the one who did this?!" The rookie blanched.

The commissioner removed his hand from his face once he removed himself from the room, "The justice was already served, Abberline. This case is closed, and we needed not to pursuit this any longer." Fury boiled inside of him, but logic won out, and Randall left the mansion.

The sky was coated with the night, blanketing the earth in darkness. Only dim glow of the lights drove the working men with badges to continue inspecting the strange, bloodless massacre.

"Wait! Tell me why!" Abberline yelped, chasing the speedy commissioner, apologizing to his fellow officers for bumping into them, "This isn't fair!"

The older man waved and hailed down his awaiting carriage, "Leave it alone, Abberline, if you know what is good for you." His superior warned, "Some things are not meant for likes of you to know, and more dangerous if you ever learn of it." The driver pulled open the door and Randall stepped inside, "Have yourself a good night, Abberline."

The carriage drove away, unheeded of the rookie detective's cries.

"Hmp, that explained why the brat didn't sent the carriage." Randall grumbled, unhappy that his one golden ticket to one-up the brat was quickly gone, as fleeting as a water drop. He was waiting for a carriage the Phantomhive were supposed to dispatch to fetch him, when he got a call from his younger partner, Abberline, of the Bloodless Massacre, as his officers referred it. It was then he knew, or rather, can guess what took place in that mansion.

The Phantomhive Family, the sweeper of the dark, indeed.

* * *

A/N: Unbeta'd, of course.

Long time no Troublesome update! Happy birthday to me and to you all! Reviews are accepted as my birthday presents, lmao.

Anyway, so, to be frank, I actually don't have any idea where to go with this story. I already know of the very beginning, the ending, and the characters' histories, but not really anything immediate. :c So, I'm stumped. So, this fic will likely be updated very slowly, unless the inspiration hits me on the direction of this story. Any suggestion is appreciated too. I'm hoping to avoid following the current manga/anime plot after this arc too.

So, my sincerest apologies to my lovely readers! I know few of you had been waiting very patiently for this update. I hope this will tide you over for a little while.

Thank you all so very much for being my readers and for being so patient. You are so lovely and wonderful.


	33. 32: Rooftop

32: Rooftop

* * *

"My, my…what a lovely ending to this night." He hummed, watching the men below clamoring over the dead in that mansion. He laughed, amused that those officers would be pulling many overnighters for a case with no killers to be found. To be a human is to suffer.

He was camouflaged by the night, from his perch on a roof. The moon shied away from him, providing her lights for the weaklings digging up the dead men instead. His eyes stared closely on the bodies, before he cracked a grin, "What a nice choice of slaughter, truly. Drowning from inside!" A snicker fled his lips, "I cannot decide whether if I want the boy after all. She is _much_ more a delectable choice. Indeed I cannot choose." He sighed, "…What a dilemma." The man crossed his legs and threaded his gloved fingers in thoughts.

"Perhaps both?" He combed back his black hair, as he leered down at the scene, "A satisfying supper _and_ a beautiful bride on my arm? I would not mind sharing the meal, indeed, if it will fetch me my bride..." With a moan from dangerous, yet provocative pictures playing in his head, a glove was being stripped from his hand from his razor-sharp teeth, to keep himself in check, "I cannot resist such titillating ideas!"

He was on his feet, his bright eyes glee, "But, my current master must die first, for I cannot do anything with my hands bounded." The glows dimmed, unhappy from this revelation, "Hmp, I will force his hands then."

The rooftop was then empty of the strange man in black.

* * *

A/N: Yes, hello, I am alive! And because I haven't update anything in a while _and _this being a super short chapter, I will update again in an hour or so. :)

Now...who is the man on the rooftop? Anyone care to hazard a guess? It's pretty obvious though, lmao, but there are few candidates too, to think about.

(Please remember that I have no beta reader, so sorry about any typoes. Anyone is welcome to volunteer though!)


	34. 33: Newspaper

33: Newspaper

* * *

"Some Italian trading firm, ah…and someone attacked them. There was a load of causalities…" Baldroy read from a newspaper, and recoiled at the number printed in it, "Geez, that _many_ people?!" He puffed his cigarette in thought, "Damn..."

Mey-Rin, heaving a heavy stack of clean plates with careful feet, worried her lips, "Must've really angered someone." Without a thought she neatly placed each plate one by one into an opened cabinet, recent training having re-enforced balances within herself.

"Must be..." Baldroy glanced back to the papers, "No survivors at all. Mysterious deaths too."

"Mysterious deaths how?" Finnian squeaked, small bits of late breakfast food fell from his mouth from fright.

The chef rolled his shoulders, "Some of them looked like...they've drowned." he twisted his expressions, confused, "But there's no water anywhere. The bodies are as bloated as pufferfish though. Weird." He furrowed his face, "Some looked like they withered up and just died. _Geez_!" Baldroy shook his head, baffled, but he kept reading, "The rest looked like they were shot by their own weapons..." Further along he read, "There was a rumor that there was a dead man vomiting more water than a typical human body's limitations...actually, the water didn't stop gushing until some hours later..." Not seeing Finnian and Mey-Rin's paling faces at this, he continued with a lazy shrug, "buttttt that's just a rumor." He smashed the last bit of the cancer stick into a nearby ashtray.

Finnian tucked his hands under his armpits, shivering, "Must be a demon's doing!"

The plates were chattering with shaky hands, Mey-Rin gulped. The noises pulled Baldroy's attention to her, "Hey, mind the plates! Don't need the missus butler getting ticked off again." He rose a blond eyebrow at Mey-Rin's yelp and her sudden action to separate herself from the fragile items before she could drop them, "Geez, why are you guys so white?" He crackled his papers and went back to his reading again, "Ahhh..."

Curious both Finnian and Mey-Rin, still shaking with fear, stepped closer, peering over the man's shoulders to look at the article.

"Looks like the Ferro's-that Italian trading firm family- was actually involved into something illegal." He sounded a noise of interest in his throat, more curious.

Both reeled away, clasping hands to each other from fear, "Karma! Something angry must have exacted karma on them!"

Something clacked against the floor and Finnan and Mey-Rin bellowed out a startled scream. They twisted around in a snail slow pace, trembling, to see what the sound was. Baldroy fixed his collar.

Kagome blinked, her heels cracking away from the door, "Are you both alright? You both looked like you witnessed a ghost."

"Ah, miss Kagome!" They slumped from relief, "It's just Ms. Kagome..."

With a raised brow Kagome looked at Baldroy, who shrugged again, "I was reading my papers, madam. Don't know why they're so worked up about it." He stood up from his seat, folding the papers, not minding the creases. It was going to be recycled as bedding for Samson's nest later, so there was no point making it neat.

She frowned, "Hmp, well, your breaks are over. Please," her voice dropped the room temperature by several degrees, along with a razor-sharp smile and a too-polite expression, "get to work now!"

They fled from the room with nay a peep, their hearts hammering louder than from the story from an newspaper.

Dropping the frightening look, she frowned at the oddity she saw a short moment prior, "Good grief, what got them so bothered...?" Kagome glanced at the rolled material on the flimsy table, and picked it up, her eyes scanning across printed words, "Oh?" A sharp smile followed, "That is the most curious." She chuckled.

She rose her head, hearing knocks in the distance. "A pity..." Kagome returned the papers back to the wooden surface. Turning away, her eyes flashing bright dangerous blue at something ahead, "that no one will ever tell a living soul of the resolution of this tale, hmm?"

* * *

A/N: Ahahah looked like she went and cracked the fourth wall a bit...sorry readers, you probably should keep what happened to your graves...

As I promised, here's your second update! Hope both chapters are an enjoyable read, even though this chapter is really just a tie up for the recent arc.

Next chapters from here will be taking pretty much a different direction! (...I hope.) Look forward to it! And as always, please leave any feedback, thank you!

As for long absences, blame college for their soul-sucking ways. :')

EDIT: As a reviewer pointed out, dry drowning is a thing. I completely forgot about that. o.x You can tell I'm not a biologist, lol. Didn't even think about researching about that. Damn, may need to revise? We'll see.  
EDIT2: Made slight changes in this chapter, for now. Will revise when I have time, and for rest of the chapters too.  
EDIT3: Made further changes for better flow of reading.


	35. 34: Oxygen

34: Oxygen

* * *

_Bubbles were expelled from her mouth, as her outspread hand was desperate to reach the blurry light above. Her other hand was immobile at her side. Her eyes hot, tears disappearing in the brown water, _-a! -a!_ She begged, and begged, and begged. A flash of red streaked across her dimming, distorted vision, and her hope died a quick death._

_Icy death wrenched her darkening soul, whispering and breathing rage into her drowning heart, slithering its darkness through the once oh-so-pure heart._

_She screamed, the last of her oxygen expelling and emptying from her hot lungs in a cloud of white. Earth embraced her body, pulling her deeper into the _warm-hot _darkness._

_And she was still screaming, even as her vision long since faded, her skin blue and rotting, her lungs and belly swollen and bloated with water and dirt. She was left with a burning question never to have an answer._

**Why?**

Azure eyes, bright pupils razor-sharp thin, blinked open, her rest disturbed from the odd interval of that nightmare-memory. Blinking again, her eyes became human and she rose to her waist, wrinkling not on her bedspread. She folded away her thick cover. Noting it was still pitch-black dark, the lady-butler lighted a candle, without so much of a blink or lifting a hand. She didn't need the light, she mused, but it was best to at least pretend to be a human and to stay in the habit of it. Kagome then removed herself from the bed, a gift of many from her master, and her feet did not recoil from the icy temperature of the waxed floor. Her long pajama dropped over her feet, and was dragged behind.

A low sound hummed from her throat, as she approached to her simple-looking vanity-yet another gift from her dear boy master. Kagome looked at herself, and despite the weak light, found not a strand of hair out of place. "Hmmm..." She picked up the extravagant hairbrush anyway, pulled a fat lock from her raven-black mane, and proceed to comb through the luscious hair.

For a brief moment she felt it heavy with water in her hand, but that sensation vanished as fleetingly as a mere second flown by.

Unbothered by the sensation, she allowed her mind to stray,_ What was that?_ She wondered, uncertain if it is indeed a memory, or a false one oftentimes conjured up by the madness of a demon's nature. Then, Kagome shrugged, and placing down the brush, ready to start her day early, _Oh, well, it is of no matter_.

She, like many a devil, wasn't too bothered by not knowing their origin, much less remembering it. Such a thing was a frivolous subject, in the end.

* * *

A/N: :3 have theories? Have at it.

Quick note, all chapters but ch26 have been revised to the best of my abilities! Few chapters had some extra contents added, so check back if you wish to read them. And because I've completed the revision relatively early, you get an early update!


	36. 35: Painting

35: Painting

* * *

Darkness held thick inside the manor, she lurked through endless hallways. No one of paranoid nature slumbering were even the slightest disturbed by her early patrolling. Such is a human's fallacy, she mused wickedly. Kagome held no light, manipulating the darkness to assure the safety of the residents.

Her normally noisy heels gave no sound against the waxed woods.

She pushed her senses beyond the Phantomhive owned grounds, and found little threats. A burglar or two awaited at the edge, stalking through the trees with intents to harm the little Phantomhive master. The usual. They will arrive by the morning light, which by then, according to the direction they are heading, Mey-Rin will get rid of these fools easily.

Nothing worthy of the lady butler's interference nor of her interest.

She stopped before a great painting, arriving on the broad floor from the stair below. Kagome didn't bother resisting the urge to gaze upon the previous earl's sculpted face. Her eyes then scanned to his lady, who smiled so serenely that it disgusted her, and lastly, a small boy laid in between his mother and father's arms. His bright blue eyes shone such innocence it was a pity they were removed so quickly as it had.

Kagome then threw a grimace at the painting.

It was so inaccurate it was glaring.

She wondered why her master didn't protest at his lady fiancee's whims to return the hellish thing in the first place. The young lady noticed the painting removed and threw such a fuss over it, and was soothed as fast as she complained. Ciel never once looked at it since his return and demanded the removal a month past. Yet there it was, back on the wall it did not belong.

The artist failed to capture all of the Phantomhive family.

Kagome itched to correct the flaws, but restrained herself and removed herself from the area promptly to continue her patrol.

She was halfway through a door when her body seized in alarm. This sensation twisted her belly, the thinnest and most invisible cracks within the walls bled black with diseased water. Blacker than even darkness itself.

There was a great and powerful threat, waiting at the entrance door outside.

This stranger oozed _power_. Ancient _power_. Not to be taken lightly. Kagome bit back a hiss, but did not hurry to greet this creature outside. She snapped back her faltering control, the manor cleansed of bleeding blackness, and Kagome composed herself before the door.

She hated how she lost such control of her power-she was _far _from being a fledgling, yet there she was-leaking water everywhere!

_Pathetic_. Kagome sneered at the embossed cravings of the door, her hand fisted on the brass knob. But, how often does a mere demon, no matter how old, encounters, and _survives_, an Ancient one?

Even she herself made all efforts to avoid them, oftentimes brushing by with pure luck.

A chuckle rang from the other side of the door, and Kagome pressed her expression into plain. This voice would have turn any woman and man alike into a slobbering, drooling mess. It seems that she found herself to be the except, finding this _laugh_ far from worthy of being in her bed.

This voice was also laughing at her second-worth moment of weakness. He _knew_.

The knob twisted, and her eyes met with a sharp, seductive grin.


	37. 36: Stranger

36: Stranger

* * *

WARNING: This chapter contains (adult on adult) molestation, along with some implications of '_something'_, so heel the warnings if you are sensitive.

* * *

"_My, my, you are much more beautiful up close."_ The stranger purred, the language so old she fought to remember the rusty words. A gloved hand tangled into the lady butler's groomed mane, and rolled his fingers to feel its texture, "_A beautiful slaughter."_

Kagome did not flinch at his touch, and only thinned her glowing eyes in warning at him, interrupting his tirade, "I would very much appreciate if you will please remove your person from mine." She did not communicate his language, finding it a bother to appease his ridiculous behavior, no matter his strength.

His unnaturally sharp teeth-the canines curved into long, dangerous fangs-sparked in the night, his grin widening. His elegant hand curled around her throat, "I refuse your request. I rather like touching you." He no longer spoke his mother tongue, his smooth English as impeccable as his appearance. The stranger laughed, fingers tightening into her neck.

She did not struggle for breath, nor did she wince at her throat being squeezed with her feet dangling few inches above the floor. Kagome did not even scratch at the hand that lifted her body. She bored her uninterested eyes at him and waited for him to be done with his violation of her person.

He closed his smile, and sighed, loosing his grip, "Hmp, at least humor my whims, you dull woman." he released her body and she met the ground on her feet with ease.

"If you are only here to molest my body, then please do leave. I have no interest to meddle myself with the likes of you." Kagome announced, a veiled warning hissing through her teeth. With that she stepped away, turning her back. She reached for the doorknob.

Her back thudded against his solid chest, his large hands digging in her shoulders so deep his fingernails broke through her clothes and her skin, dark blood staining his gloves, "I am not done with you." He pressed his form flat against her, his disguised, _solid _erection was burning upon her lower back from his slacks, "Perhaps now you will be convinced?" His hands slithered lower, his hot breath misting on her exposed neck. His teeth grazed across her skin, peppering invisible kisses.

She looked at him in disapproval when he compressed her breasts in his hands, "No. As I have said, I have no interest into meddling myself with the likes of you. _Leave._" Cracks bled once more. The water of the lively fountain changed colors and flooded. Green plants wilted and browned and drowned under the black water. It reached to the highest doorstep, spilling to the man's shoes.

"And," he cupped in between her thighs, the skirt drawn up to his wrist. He ignored the veins of her power spiking and striking through his skin, "I do not want to _leave_. Not without a sampling."

"Of which I have no interest into offering. Find someone else _willing_." Kagome grappled his wrists from her breasts and loin, and ripped them away with the surge of her power. Splashes scattered, he was slammed good many feet away from her and demolished the tall centerpiece of the fountain. Water grabbed him, and dragged him below, invading their ways into all orifices in his body. She watched, righting her outfit that he skewed, "If you are so desperate to find relief, perhaps this will help." Kagome sneered, but didn't dare to turn her back again.

To defy, and _deny_, an Ancient is a death wish.

But, perhaps she is arrogant, she can win. She _will_ win.

The flood split into huge waves, and he stood into the empty fountain with a glare, his clothes dry, "You are bold." His voice stressed with controlled anger, a hand readjusting the crooked tie upon his neck.

Kagome smiled.

* * *

A/N: I completely forgot to update yesterday (and this morning because there's a festival around here). Sorry.

I actually wrestled with this chapter. I wrote about maybe three different chapters, each going into somewhat different direction of storytelling. I still am debating if I should go in another direction too. If this chapter had been taken down and is posted with different version, you'll know why.

I didn't really have anyone online to discuss Troublesome at the moment, so I am honestly at loss about the storytelling. Still, hope this chapter is good. The queue ends after this chapter for a time being. Hopefully I'll write more soon!

Leave any feedback, if you can. :)


	38. SPECIAL: Dilemma

SPECIAL: Dilemma

* * *

...now's here something a _littllle_ different...

* * *

"Oh, hello there," there was an audible crunch of the delicious-looking apple, dappled with colors resembling of a perfect autumn season, and Kagome sighed at the flavor, swinging lightly of a foot, "didn't expect me here, hm?" She breathed a giggle, gracefully switching a leg overlapping another, with a palm stretching over a paper-littered desk underneath her. With another crunch of the fruit, the she-devil licked a dribbling juice from her lips and dropped her playful expression, "Truth be told, you really shouldn't be."

Her eyes sharpened and brightened with an hellish intention, and the apple became rotten, black and brown, in her grasp, "Ugh." Kagome then crushed the now-dead object in her gloved hand, becoming dust of what it once was, "That didn't satisfy me at all." She scoffed, allowing the ashes to slip through her fingers, in a neat seam of line that faded apart few inches below. Brushing her hands together, she then rested her chin comfortably over her wrist, "Hmp, I supposed I should get to straight to the point."

She smiled, in spite of her frightening expression, "Surely all of you are aware this is a," Kagome rolled over a hand from her thoughts, "tale, yes? Spoiling of my grand adventures I had so many, _many_ years ago." She hissed, though it was difficult to discern between gleefulness and ugly dissatisfaction to a naked eye from that face she wore. She then crackled, the sound remarkably deep for the like of her appearance, "You see, darling nosy bystanders," Kagome flicked something wet off the furniture she was perching on, something that was staining the white papers red, "my dear, _dear_ writer had embellished me...and rightly so!"

She blew a raspberry, "That one did well by me...choosing to write one of my grandest tales yet by there far..." Her eyes flashed darkly, dimming almost violet, "and then the idiot couldn't even do it _correctly!_" The snarl was reverberating from her gnashed teeth, like an explosion deafening all unfortunate in its near vicinity. The small bit of wood of the desk splintered from her grip, and it seemed to have cool her.

Even a tad.

Kagome quietened and that wild, glassy shine from her eyes had vanished. She huffed, regaining her calmness, "That one claimed they'd ran themselves into a wall and done blocked themselves in." With a turn of her hips she clacked to the solid floor, posturing herself like a prim lady, "Have patience, they begged, in desperate hope to fix their wrongdoing. Never mind when the inpatient ones hungered and lingered, their teeth becoming sharper and eyes sunken from lack of nightly slumber, staying oh so close to their bonded feet."

She crackled again, though she was thoughtful enough to do so behind a hand, "Idiot. They took too long!"

Kagome then blinked, an brow disappearing beyond her groomed bang, "Are you confused, dear readers? Hmph." She wounded an arm under her breasts, smiling again behind that hand, "It is alright. Understandable." She masked her disappointment with a serene look only a mother could replicate, "It is simple. Our dear writer here," she gestured to something odd looking just behind the shadow, off to her side, struggling to breathe, "had encountered an obstruction they couldn't easily remove."

She then shrugged that lazy lift of a shoulder, "So, after giving them a generous amount of deadlines, I got impatient."

There was a whimper, too soft for human ears, at which Kagome blissfully ignored, "Worry not, dear readers, we shall remedy this _little_," she spat with burning venom, "dilemma soon enough! Now that our little writer had some abundant amount of free time for the summer season, I am certain we will get this resolved shortly." The upturned corners of her painted lips had sharpened, "All we ask for, is a little more patience, dear ones."

She glanced to the quivering mount of shadowed flesh, "Surely you can accomplish even that, yes?"

Kagome's response was another pathetic whimper.

"Hmph, and you're the highly esteemed author Young Master so richly praised for?" She scoffed, "Makes me curious why my _kindnesses_ had failed on you when as it did for those three human favorites of the Master." Kagome mused airily, "Perhaps it would be because you are not naive to my true nature?"

She received nothing.

"Ah," Kagome chuckled, "well, regardless, we all will be getting our well-deserved contents soon enough, dear readers." She bowed, her grace abnormally smooth, "And with that we shall end this little...hiatus here."

Silence held reigned and the light dimmer dramatically.

A bell rang in a far distance, interrupting the light curtain from blackening wholly.

She lifted her head to her right, her dangerous expression dissolving and her back straightened, "Ah," Kagome turned at her heels and stepped away, "my Master is calling. I must be going now." She glanced at the pile now just a few steps away, "I am highly suggesting you start now."

An angry snapping of teeth cracked the air below, and she again snorted, "What is there you can do against me? Write about me being a human so long ago that even I cannot remember?" At that she paused and narrowed her eyes on the thing at her feet, "I do not recommend taking that route. There is nothing in that to tell a tale about, considering I had no memory to span a tale for you to retell."

Again, no reply. Kagome stepped away, not dignifying the poor mess of a writer with her own words. The light drew its curtain close.

* * *

A/N: So! I've been fighting with Troublesome for so long with the story progression that I just got frustrated and wrote this nonsensical piece out. But, I was considering leaving a note of hiatus...or perhaps a call for help. I'm not sure which, but I thought this might've sufficient instead, since you guys waited for so long. Plus, it comes with a few certain hints that is canon with the story itself. In particular, how _scary_ the bitch is.

Beside, a note like that is against the ffnet rule anyway, and I wasn't supposed to interact with my readers, so this is the next best thing.

Honestly there had been a few times I was considering deleting this whole damn thing and start over. That was how frustrating my fight with the progression is. But, I couldn't do that. I actually like how Troublesome was coming along, minus with some poor grammars and characterizations in the beginning (and especially is that pathetic fight scene in the mansion I never got around revising and I didn't want to tackle that mess right now). It was just that the recent chapters had stumped me, after I realized some plotholes I needed to somehow fix.

Sooooo...I'm letting you know I am still trying to work on this.

And I may need some help.

If you think about it, maybe you can throw some idea suggestion my way? Thanks.

With that aside, THANKS so much for your saintly patience and PMs. I'm surprised that I even got a couple of PMs asking about this fic. This was actually one of my least popular fics currently being worked on (in term of reviews), yet it got more PMs than my other fanfictions. Weird!

Cheers and hope I can update soon for you all!


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